Abt Electronics to expand Glenview warehouse
Abt Electronics and Appliances in Glenview, a retailer of household products, said Tuesday that it plans to expand its warehouse, but no additional jobs are planned.
The warehouse will add about 100,000 square feet, bringing the total square footage to just under 450,000 square feet. The company plans to break ground in July, said company spokesman David Viggiano.
The uptick in buying patterns is part of the reason for the expansion. "With the economy rebounding, demand has been increasing," Viggiano said.
More space is needed for more merchandise, Co-president Mike Abt said in a statement.
"We've been continuing to add product categories in recent years (mattresses, furniture, water heaters) that not only create additional stock to store, but are also very bulky items," Abt said. "People are buying bigger appliances. Fridges are growing, TVs are growing, so we needed a way to stock those larger items; expanding the warehouse will allow us be more efficient in the way we operate."
The company may use geothermal energy for heating the new area, as well as potentially utilizing solar panels. Like the rest of its warehouse, it will feature energy-efficient, motion-sensor activated LED lighting, so that lights are on only when someone is working there, the company said.
Abt will be adding 50 loading docks, which means trucks can get in and out quicker and save labor hours on the drivers.
Abt is featured in the current Consumer Reports involving the sale and customers service for large appliances.
The company was founded in 1936 when Jewel Abt gave her husband David $800 to start a business. He began as a small store with only three employees in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago.
Abt has since grown to become one of the largest independent single-store appliance and electronics retailers in the country sprawled out on 37 acres in Glenview and employing more than 1,000, according to the company website.