The 53,000-square foot building at the Central Florida Commerce Center, 1855 S. County Line Road, has a well-known new tenant.
Williams-Sonoma, a retail company that sells kitchenwares and home furnishings, is moving in and will distribute products throughout the state of Florida to their stores and to customers. The brand is prominent in the United States and its subsidiaries include Pottery Barn, West Elm, Rejuvenation and more.
Jeff Lucas, secretary and treasurer of the Plant City Economic Development Corporation, has been working toward developing businesses along Florida’s I-4 corridor. He said the addition of the branch fits perfectly into Plant City’s long-term goals, as the city is ideally situated for logistics operations, manufacturing businesses and office users as well. The proximity to Tampa and Orlando, its deep labor pool and pro business city commission and city leadership will continue to draw high profile businesses to the area.
“They’re here because of the location, our location in the center of the state,” Lucas said. “In the middle of the state, they can reach all of Florida very easily. The city’s presence, it’s atmosphere and the available building that they needed just made it a perfect fit.”
Though Williams-Sonoma is a notable brand, Lucas said the addition of the new center will not impact traffic for the community. Its proximity to the interstate and location on County Line Road means traffic will go directly from the interstate to the branch with little to no interaction on other roads.
The center will officially open July 1, 2018 and is expected to offer approximately 15 jobs to the local community. The lease was signed for the new center “a couple weeks ago” and the permit was submitted and approved last week.
“I think it’s good to have a Williams-Sonoma brand, as well as other businesses, open up in the city," Lucas said. "It provides jobs for local residents and brings prosperity to the community.”