Shalom International, a distributor of fashion accessories andgeneral merchandise, has inked a lease for 101,460 sf of space, orclose to half of one of the two buildings Matrix has planned forthe 26-acre site. Shalom, which will be using the space forheadquarters and an East Coast shipping and receiving center, willmove here from substantially smaller quarters in Carteret, NJ, justa New Jersey Turnpike exit or two to the north. Terms of the leasewere not disclosed.

"This transaction is in keeping with our emphasis on investingin New Jersey's urban centers," says Matrix COO Alec Taylor. PerthAmboy Business Center, which is currently under construction andslated to be ready for occupancy by the end of this year, is risingon a reclaimed Brownfield site.

"We are pleased to be playing a role in creating jobs, newinvestment and the long-term economic viability of Perth Amboy, andto construct this new facility for Shalom," says Taylor, whoseCranbury, NJ-based company is also involved in a big way in othersuch New Jersey cities as Newark and New Brunswick, as well as inPhiladelphia.