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Oct 16, 2024

Outdoor gear manufacturer shifts distribution operations to Mississippi | Supply Chain Dive

Exxel Outdoors’ multimillion-dollar relocation project places its U.S. warehouse facility closer to its manufacturing plant in Haleyville, Alabama. Recreational product manufacturer Exxel Outdoors is

Exxel Outdoors’ multimillion-dollar relocation project places its U.S. warehouse facility closer to its manufacturing plant in Haleyville, Alabama.

Recreational product manufacturer Exxel Outdoors is moving its national warehouse and distribution center to Tupelo, Mississippi, from Reno, Nevada, according to a Sept. 26 press release.

The relocation will place Exxel’s distribution operations closer to the majority of its customers and its sleeping bag manufacturing plant in Haleyville, Alabama, the press release said.

The relocation also involves switching from a leased facility to a purchased one.

The new facility will be in an existing 175,000-square-foot building formerly owned by Philips Day-Brite, the Community Development Foundation of Tupelo told Supply Chain Dive in an email.

The 255,000-square-foot leased facility in Reno originally opened in 2016, per the company's website.

The company, which owns brands such as Sierra Designs and Slumberjack, is making a more than $2 million corporate investment to facilitate the move with the assistance of Lee County and a $267,389 tax incentive from the Mississippi Development Authority.

Exxel qualified for the incentive by proposing a project that would create 50 jobs with annual salaries 75% higher than the state’s average annual wage, according to an email from a Mississippi Development Authority spokesperson.

“The Mississippi Development Authority and Lee County have provided us with an absolutely stellar experience in bringing our new Tupelo distribution operation to fruition,” Exxel Outdoors CEO Harry Kazazian said in the release. “We look forward to becoming part of Tupelo’s amazing community, with its business-positive leadership and welcoming environment.”

The move by Exxel will create at least 40 jobs, per the release.

According to its website, Exxel currently has 12 facilities located across the globe, including its headquarters in Broomfield, Colorado, as well as production and development centers in Vietnam, the Philippines, and Bangladesh. The company also has a joint venture weaving mill in China.