Wayfair to open new fulfillment center in Romeoville

A major furniture and home-goods e-commerce company announced plans to open a new 1.2 million-square-foot fulfillment center in Romeoville.

Wayfair is planning for the new facility to be located on a 60-acre parcel of land along Renwick Road, according to a news release.

The company plans to hire for more than 250 full-time roles with peak employment eventually approaching 500 jobs.

Construction is scheduled to begin this spring with a projected opening in mid-2022.

“Our new fulfillment center in Romeoville will enable us to further scale our excellent shopping experience to meet the needs of our rapidly growing customer base in the greater Chicago region and across the U.S.,” said Thomas Netzer, Wayfair’s chief operating officer. “We are excited to join the Romeoville community and look forward to welcoming top talent from the region to join our world-class logistics team.”

Last month, Wayfair announced a minimum wage of $15 per hour for all its U.S. employees.

Romeoville Mayor John Noak said online retail continues to be “the dominant force in the market today” and touted benefits of the expanding sector, including raising more tax revenue.

“We are happy to welcome one of the biggest players in e-commerce, Wayfair, as the newest member of our business community,” Noak said in the release. “Facilities such as this are large property and sales tax generators, which provide additional funding to our schools and other taxing bodies.”

In advance of the project, the village partnered with state Sen. John Connor, D-Lockport, to secure funding for an extension of Pinnacle Drive to connect Airport and Renwick roads. This will give truck traffic an alternative route from using Weber Road or Route 53, two of the village’s busiest corridors for commuting drivers.

The extension of Pinnacle is being funded by a grant from the Build Illinois Program.

“I’m pleased that a national e-commerce employer like Wayfair has chosen Pinnacle Drive to build its flagship logistics center,” Connor said in the release.