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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Office of the Mayor <br /> <br />NEWS RELEASE <br />December 10, 2010 <br />2 p.m. <br /> <br />Statement from Mayor Luecke on A.J. Wright closing <br /> <br />Contact: <br />Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications & Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564 <br /> <br />This morning, my office was informed that TJX began taking steps today to consolidate <br />its A.J. Wright division and close the A.J. Wright Distribution Center, 1902 W. Sample <br />St., eliminating what corporate officials say are between 650 and 750 jobs (although the <br />most recent figure provided to the City a year ago was the equivalent of 531 full-time <br />jobs). <br /> <br />TJX will close the Sample Street building “in the next couple of months or so depending <br />on the amount of inventory available on site,” according to Jerry Rossi of TJX, which is <br />based in Framingham, Mass. Divisional executives in South Bend were not involved in <br />the decision-making process and were not informed of the decision until last night. TJX’s <br />national news release indicates the company expects actions to be completed in the first <br />quarter of 2011. In addition to the South Bend facility, which opened in 2004, a similar <br />A.J. Wright distribution facility of about equal size is closing in Massachusetts as well as <br />A.J. Wright’s home office. The corporate office said about half of the jobs cut overall are <br />part-time, and some jobs here in South Bend were temporary. <br /> <br />More than 80 percent of employees at the South Bend distribution center live in South <br />Bend. According to company officials, the local workforce has been roughly one-third <br />Hispanic, one-third Caucasian and one-third African-American. This is a sad day for our <br />friends and neighbors who are impacted by these business decisions. The facility had <br />been hiring recently, and it was providing good jobs with healthcare and other benefits. <br />Our community provides good resources for employees dealing with job transition, and <br />we hope that other opportunities could soon be available. <br /> <br />A silver lining in this disappointing news is that the 540,000-square-foot facility, with <br />room for a 300,000-square-foot addition, could provide a ready site for another <br />distribution center. This modern facility, opened in 2004, is very adaptable: A clear-span <br />building with tall ceilings and lots of loading docks. In recent weeks, our economic <br />