HAVERHILL — Amazon is coming to Haverhill, with plans to open a 142,000-square-foot distribution center as part of the e-commerce giant’s “last mile” fulfillment program, Mayor James Fiorentini announced Friday in a joint statement with Eastern Real Estate, which owns the property.
Fiorentini said he expects 150 jobs will be coming to the site, which was formerly occupied by the Southwick clothing company at 25 Computer Drive in the Broadway Business Park off Route 97.
Most of the jobs are are expected to be packers and drivers who will transport Amazon packages to their final destinations within a 45-mile radius of the new facility, a release from the mayor’s office said. Outside of Haverhill, there is an Amazon “last mile” location at Logan Airport, according to the mayor’s office. Amazon is also opening a distribution facility in nearby North Andover on Osgood Street.
Amazon’s “last mile” program is the final leg in a journey of a package being shipped to a home. Drivers will travel directly from the Haverhill center to homes in the region to make deliveries.
“We could have had an empty factory building and all those lost jobs for who knows how long,” Fiorentini said Friday. “We did everything we could to first keep Southwick, then find a replacement to continue making Brooks Brothers suits, and then when it didn’t work out, we started working with Eastern Real Estate. We are very happy to announce that Amazon is coming here and bringing at least 150 well-paying jobs with them.”
The mayor has worked to find a new company for the former Southwick clothing factory since its parent company, Brooks Brothers, filed for bankruptcy protection last summer. More than 400 unionized garment workers pivoted to making personal protective equipment to help during the pandemic in a last-ditch effort to keep the company operating before they were ultimately laid off and the company was sold to Eastern Real Estate at auction in August 2020.
Fiorentini said he will push for Amazon to hire as many Haverhill residents as possible. In addition to providing jobs, the city stands to benefit from increased property tax payments and new excise tax payments on an estimated two dozen Amazon delivery trucks that will be registered in Haverhill and based at the Computer Drive site, the mayor said.
Once Amazon opens the center, operations at the site are expected to begin after 9:30 a.m. daily so Amazon drivers avoid the morning rush hour, the mayor said.
Amazon will lease the property from Eastern Real Estate, with a lease agreement to be signed soon, Fiorentini said.
Dan Doherty of Eastern Real Estate, the company that paid $14 million last August for the factory and the 21 acres at 25 Computer Drive, said he looks forward to supporting the city’s economy.
“The interaction with the City of Haverhill and the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development and Planning has been both extremely professional and constructive,” Doherty said. “They understand the needs of investors who continue to support Haverhill’s future by improving the commercial real estate base and bringing new jobs to the community. We have had the pleasure of working with many communities in the Commonwealth and across the country, and Haverhill ranks among the most effective in facilitating smart growth and achieving the goals of the city’s constituency.”
A timeline for construction and opening has not yet been made public, though building permits have been filed with the city, Fiorentini’s office said.
This is a developing story. Watch eagletribune.com for more information as it becomes available. A full report will appear in the Sunday Eagle-Tribune.
