Buchheits to buy Supervalu warehouse

Since the Supervalu Distribution Center closed its doors in Scott City in 2000 -- taking 160 jobs with it -- it has sat vacant for five years, frustrating city officials who watched and waited for someone to buy the 260,000-square-foot warehouse and bring back the promise of employment.

On Tuesday, the frustration came to an end as the Buchheit family, owners of farm and home centers in two states, announced a deal to buy the warehouse and its 52 acres with an eye to relocating their expanding trucking company and leasing the remaining warehouse space.

The deal, with Supervalu Holdings Inc. of Minneapolis, is expected to close within a week for the property that was listed for $3.75 million. Buchheit would not release the exact terms of the deal.

"We're excited about the acquisition and the opportunity," said company president Tim Buchheit. "We were looking for other ways to branch out with our trucking operations and ways to offer additional services."

Three generations of Buchheits were on hand for the announcement, including 93-year-old Rudy Buchheit, who founded the company in 1934.

The building, built in 1961 and expanded in 1974, includes 10,000 square feet of office space and a large truck repair shop with several bays and 41 loading dock doors. Buchheit Truck Services Inc. operates almost 80 trucks and is a contract carrier providing transportation throughout the United States and Canada, serving mainly agriculture and industrial clients.

While Tim Buchheit said moving their trucking company to the Supervalu building is a "serious option," the final decision hasn't been made yet.

"We're contemplating that," he said. "I'd rather make that announcement internally first before we talk about it in the paper. It probably will happen, but I'd rather wait to say."

Buchheit said there are two companies that they are already negotiating with to lease space in the building, but nothing has been finalized. How many tenants will end up in the building is hard to say, he said.

"It could be one, but the way it's set up it could be several," he said. "It just kind of depends on the market."

He said deals could be finalized within the next 60 days.

Tom Kelsey of Lorimont Place brokered the deal. He said the building would be good for a variety of businesses.

"It's got close proximity to the port, to the airport and you can see I-55 from here," he said. "People in the trucking business are looking to get as close to the interstate as you can get. It really has the best of all worlds."

It's good to get that building, dormant for so long, back into use, said Mitch Robinson, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Area MAGNET, a Southeast Missouri economic recruitment group.

"It's been way too many years," he said. "But we have a user and they're going to be looking for tenants for some of this space. The timing's good. It would be a good fit for people that need space."

Scott City Mayor Tim Porch said he was happy to see someone finally in the building.

"It's a wonderful day," he said. "The Buchheits have been in business for a long time and we're happy to get them. We're happy that he's satisfied with Scott City and that he's willing to locate some of his business here."

Porch admitted that at times it was aggravating to see the building sit empty for so long.

"You got people who need jobs and a facility like this just sitting here," he said. "I'm a business man. You have to get what you want for a property, but after a while it was just a shame that it wasn't put to use."

Supervalu began its Scott City operations as Wetterau Inc. in 1962. The two businesses merged in the mid-1990s. Supervalu was then the nation's No. 2 food wholesale distributor and the 10th largest supermarket retailer. In May 2000, the distribution center closed and distribution was transferred to St. Louis.

Buchheit operates farm and home centers, with Missouri stores in Jackson, Perryville and Herculaneum and Illinois stores in Sparta and Jacksonville.

smoyers@semissourian.com

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