Retail Supplier Launches First US Operation in SC

By Laura Calugar

The Black River Spec Building in Sumter, S.C.

Sumter Easy Home LLC, a supplier of housewares and other retail goods, is locating their new manufacturing operations in Sumter County. The company plans to invest $37 million and create roughly 88 jobs. The company has purchased the Black River Spec Building, a 104,000-square-foot facility in Sumter, S.C. 

Located at 1585 North Wise Drive, near the Sumter Airport, the Black River Spec Building will house Sumter Easy Home’s first facility in the U.S. The company will be servicing multiple businesses out of this facility, including warehousing and shipping of tidyliving.com orders.

Long vacancy

Sumter Easy Home’s future facility has sat empty for a long period of time. According to the Sumter Citizen, it was initially constructed to lure economic development back in 2001. Sumter County Council approved the sale of the asset and the 28 acres it sits on to Sumter County, at the beginning of this year. The municipal government previously owned the property. When sold, the asking price for the building was $1.2 million.

“This new facility will help us better service our customers by reducing lead times and controlling costs. Our company has been producing innovative houseware products for more than a decade in Asia, and now, with the support of Sumter County and the state of South Carolina, we’re opening our first U.S. manufacturing facility,” said Sumter Easy Home CEO Michael Lu, in a prepared statement.

Sumter Easy Home produces and distributes home organization and housewares to a variety of clients, including Walmart and Lowe’s.

Image via Google Earth