Internet baby, toddler and maternity products retailer BabyUniverse Inc. will open a new 24,000-square-foot facility in February as part of its plans to consolidate its Western Region direct distribution operations, the company announced yesterday.
The new warehouse in Las Vegas, NV, will replace the company’s existing 5,000-square-foot office and warehouse in California currently leased by recently acquired DreamtimeBaby.com. The Las Vegas warehouse also will support Western Region distribution requirements for BabyUniverse.com, which have historically been fulfilled via the company’s warehouse in Fort Lauderdale, FL, where it is based.
“Those of us that operate in the e-commerce business understand that shipping inefficiencies cannot be passed along to our customers,” BabyUniverse chairman/CEO John Textor said in a statement. “The Las Vegas warehouse will allow BabyUniverse to better serve these customers with timely shipments at reduced expense to the company,” he continued.
The company also expects the new warehouse to provide an opportunity to increase sales for DreamtimeBaby in California. “With the elimination of its ties to California, DreamtimeBaby will no longer be required to charge sales tax to California customers, a requirement that has historically limited its price competitiveness versus out-of-state Internet retailers,” Textor said in the statement.
Chantal Todé covers catalog and retail news and BTB marketing for DM News and DM News.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters
