Rouses headquarters to move, to open distribution center
HOUMA, La. (AP) — Rouses Markets, a grocery store chain with stores across the Gulf Coast, is moving its headquarters.
The Courier reports the chain will move its corporate offices from Thibodaux to Schriever, about 10 miles (16.09 kilometers) down the road.
The company said in a press release this week that they had purchased the 32-acre (12ha 9499.4 hectare) property last week. About 150 jobs will move from the old location to the new one.
The company's CEO, Donny Rouse, said the supermarket chain is expanding and needed to move.
"This is something that our company needs. We're continuing to grow. We have 63 stores today with five more under construction. Our current office just couldn't handle the people that we need to run our business," Rouse said.
He also said the company will open their first distribution center. That will add 200 to 300 new employees over the next year.
"The location of the distribution center for us is perfect because it's at our office, so we can keep a close eye on it; we can be in there all day, every day to make sure everything's going properly," Rouse said.
Food will first be sent to the distribution center and from there make its way to stores and supermarket shelves.
Rouses employs more than 6,300 people and has locations stretching from Louisiana to Gulf Shores, Alabama.
The company has been headquartered in Thibodaux for several decades. But the move to Terrebonne Parish is in some ways a return to its roots since the company's first store was in the parish — in Houma.
The move to Terrebonne Parish is the most significant investment outside of the oil industry in recent parish history. Terrebonne Parish President Gordy Dove welcomed the move.
"In the economic times we're facing, any kind of diversification we welcome, and you know we're happy to have the oilfield here, but any kind of diversification other than the oilfield is always welcome," Dove said.
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Information from: The Courier, http://www.houmatoday.com