Soft-Tex International, a maker of bedding and sleep accessories based in Waterford, New York, has expanded its distribution facility in South Carolina and hired Gary Semon as the new manager of the Charleston operation.
Semon started his new position as the South Carolina warehouse and distribution center manager in February. He previously was operations manager for Kontane Logistics and, before that, was inventory control manager for Dollar General.
Soft-Tex’s presence in South Carolina has expanded nearly tenfold since it first opened a 25,000-square-foot facility there in 2013. It moved to a different location in 2014 but occupied only a portion of the building. It now occupies all 236,843 square feet of that warehouse.
The company said in a news release that the expansion is reflective of both heightened demand for Soft-Tex’s products in the retail marketplace, as well as an investment in the company’s Vendor Direct division. With Vendor Direct, product is fulfilled by Soft-Tex and shipped directly to the consumer on behalf of one of the company’s retail partners, such as Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, Belk, Groupon, JCPenney, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Overstock, Walmart and Wayfair.
Jeff Chilton, chief executive officer, said: “The expansion at our South Carolina warehouse and distribution facility will allow us to be more agile in responding to changes in customer demand and other market factors while further enhancing our best-in-class fulfillment service to our retail partners, especially those who leverage our Vendor Direct programs.”