Dive Brief:
- Tailored Brands, the company behind retailers such as Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank, opened a rental distribution center in Aurora, Illinois, on Wednesday, according to a June 26 press release.
- Servicing stores in the Midwest, the 285,000-square-foot facility will employ more than 225 people, including temporary peak season hires.
- By introducing a new center into its distribution network, Tailored Brands expects to reduce shipping times and costs for close to 140 locations.
Dive Insight:
Since stumbling out of the gate following its emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021, Tailored Brands has gone against the grain and taken an aggressive approach to expanding its brick-and-mortar footprint, opening six Men’s Warehouse locations since November 2023, including its most recent opening in Richmond, Texas.
Given its desire to ramp up its physical footprint as well as its omnichannel capabilities, ensuring a more robust distribution center presence is a logical next step for the retailer.
Prior to opening of the Aurora facility, Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank stores in Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit and Minneapolis were served by facilities in Houston, Atlanta and Pittston, Pennsylvania. According to the release, locations served by the new center will benefit from increased product availability and the ability to provide next-day delivery to customers.
"The Aurora DC opens just in time for customers who are preparing for late summer formal events and fall weddings, offering a wide range of rental and purchase options to meet their needs,” said Tailored Brands Chief Supply Chain Officer Jamie Bragg, who attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new center on Wednesday.
Beyond its efforts to improve distribution, Tailored Brands has also taken steps to provide enhanced inventory visibility to its event business customers through a partnership with retail technology provider Invent Analytics.
“Invent Analytics’ AI-driven solutions provide us with the intelligence we need to optimize our inventory levels and reduce inventory substitutions, while ensuring that we always have the right product/size in stock to meet customer demand,” Tailored Brands Chief Technology Officer Scott Vifquain said in a press release announcing the partnership.
