Bob Evans Spends $1.3M for Expansion Site

Seller Kozy Shack of Hicksville, NY, built the 52,777-sf plant in 1999 after securing a contract with Sam's Club and Costco, but vacated the site in early 2002 and brought it to market 10 months ago at an asking price of $2 million, Jason Lichty in the Dallas office for Manhattan-based Newmark Real Estate Services Co. tells GlobeSt.com. The holding at One Kozy Lane is situated in an Interstate 30-fronting industrial park filled with distribution and manufacturing companies tied to the food industry.

J. Holmes Davis IV, senior vice president in Philadelphia-headquartered Binswanger/CBB's Dallas office, confides the expansion opportunities with the extra acreage and ready-to-go plant were the decision makers for Bob Evans, headquartered in Columbus, OH. The firm had been looking for some time in several southwestern states to expand the manufacturing and distribution network, he says. The Dallas facility will remain operational, he adds.

Sulphur Springs, which relies on the food industry as a staple for the economy, put up an incentive package to win the deal. The only detail available by publication time is that the new name in town is starting off with 60 workers and boosting to 100 in six months.Bob Evans owns and operates full-service restaurants in 22 states plus puts its products into more than 13,300 grocery stores in 30 states. In keeping with Sulphur Springs' practice, the address most likely will be changing from One Kozy Lane to reflect the new owner's name. Other park occupants include Ocean Spray, Coca Cola and Morningstar/Dean Foods.