Urban Outfitters brings jobs, economic stability to Kansas City heartland

The lure of centralized transportation, deep talent pool and strong partnerships proved lucrative to Urban Outfitters (UO) in their recent selection of Kansas City, Kan. as the new home for an 880,000-SF, omni-channel distribution center, which will be located on ancillary land at Kansas Speedway.

The partnership between the State of Kansas and Philadelphia-based URBN will create up to 2,000 new jobs and invest approximately $350 million in Kansas over the next several years.

The Department of Commerce worked closely with KC SmartPort, the Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC), the Wyandotte County Economic Development Council and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County in attracting UO to the KC region.

“This was a true collaboration to generate an economic development success story that will deliver benefits in Wyandotte County and beyond in our state,” said Governor Laura Kelly.

URBN cited Kansas’ central location, transportation infrastructure and skilled workforce as key factors in choosing Kansas for its distribution operation, acknowledging the location as critical to its distribution network.

“Our region is strategically positioned in America’s heartland as a major transportation hub, so this decision makes all the sense in the world. This partnership will bring thousands of jobs and much needed investments to our community, and in turn benefit our entire state. I look forward to working with Urban Outfitters to ensure it is a smooth transition,” said Kansas Representative Sharice Davids.

"We are impressed with their culture and desire to work with the community to address community issues like transit, childcare, a local hiring goal, good wages and using local, minority and women-owned companies in the construction of their facility.

The investment and number of jobs are impressive, but the long term opportunities for growth with a company like Urban Outfitters is even more impressive. (We are) appreciative to the State of Kansas, Unified Government, Kansas Speedway, BPU and Hillwood Properties to bring this to fruition,” said Greg Kindle, president of the Wyandotte County Economic Development Council.

About UO: Urban Outfitters is a lifestyle retailer dedicated to inspiring customers through a unique combination of product, creativity and cultural understanding. Founded in 1970 in a small space across the street from the University of Pennsylvania, Urban Outfitters now operates over 200 stores in the United States, Canada and Europe.