Visions of Sugar Plums

Online retailer eToys Inc. has officially opened its East Coast distribution complex in Blairs, Va., and says that the facility, which will process and ship the bulk of the company's customer orders in the eastern half of the U.S., is now fully operational in advance of the 2000 holiday season.

The 1.2 million-sq.ft. complex, located in south central Virginia near the North Carolina border, began shipping orders in late March. A new building is dedicated to receiving and storing inventory. During peak season, the facility is expected to pick, pack and ship more than 100,000 items per day, says Santa Monica, Calif.-based eToys. The complex will employ approximately 1,500 permanent and temporary employees at the height of the season.

Shipments will be made by FedEx, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service, providing a combination of air and ground transport that will operate seven days a week during the holiday season. The company has also recently completed its West Coast distribution center in Ontario, Calif., a 763,000-sq.ft. facility that houses both manual processing capability and reserve storage to serve customers in the western U.S.