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MINOOKA, IL-Macy's Inc., with corporate offices in Cincinnatiand New York City, will move its Chicago distribution center to anewly constructed 850,000-sf, single-story facility at 600 MidPoint Rd. Macy's is purchasing the facility and the 48.6-acreparcel it is located on from Opus North Corp., headquartered inRosemont, IL. The acquisition price was not disclosed but aspokesman for Macy's says the company will invest $50 million forthe center, which includes the acquisition costs of the buildingand land in addition to the cost of equipment for the new facility.Representatives from Opus North declined to be interviewed.

Macy's current distribution center is at 4000 W. Diversey Ave.,Chicago. The building had been used by Marshall Fields as adistribution center before Macy's acquired May Department Stores in2005, the spokesman says. The current distribution center is asix-story, 1.5-million-sf facility and is not efficient. "Thelogistics systems today is that the trucks with your merchandisepull up to the side of the building and the merchandise comes outof the trucks and into trucks on the other side," he says. "Themerchandise stays in the distribution center a matter of minutes asopposed to weeks or months or days."