Cosmetics company will open distribution center in Utah

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Sephora, a cosmetics company, will open a distribution center here, creating at least 500 jobs.

By late summer, the company will use 312,000 square feet of a building on the west side of Salt Lake City.

"They've been trying to find a place in the western United States to build their center," said Jeff Edwards, president of Economic Development Corp. of Utah, which helps bring businesses to Utah.

"They were interested in Reno, too, but they ended up choosing Salt Lake City for geographical reasons and also because of work-force availability," he said Monday.

Sephora, based in San Francisco, said the distribution center will serve customers west of the Mississippi River.

"Now that fuel costs have risen, it makes sense to have smaller distribution centers nationwide to help reduce shipping costs," Edwards said. "Utah is within a one-day trucking distance from California, Seattle and Portland."

Sephora operates inside J.C. Penney stores and sells cosmetics over the Internet.

"Distribution jobs aren't typically high-paying jobs, but there are a lot of those at the center," Edwards said. "Plus, Sephora has an excellent reputation as an employer. Hopefully, they'll consider opening more retail stores in Utah."

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Information from: The Daily Herald

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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