Saltbox, the flexible co-warehousing and small business logistics pioneer, has expanded to the Columbus, Ohio market to open its first-ever fulfillment hub. Serving as its first location in Ohio, Saltbox strategically chooses cities to help small and medium-sized businesses and e-commerce companies grow their logistics footprint. Saltbox continues its rapid expansion of flexible warehouses and fulfillment centers nationwide, with Columbus being the sixth Saltbox location in the U.S.
Located in the Dublin area, Saltbox’s Columbus space is over 80,000 square feet, and is near John Glenn Columbus International Airport, major railroads and Interstate 270. Serving as a new node for the growing Saltbox network, the location will have trained fulfillment and logistics experts to assist current and future Saltbox members. This strategic hub also enables Saltbox members to reach 67% of the total U.S. population via 2-day shipping – allowing its members to service customer orders at a much more rapid pace.
“Entering the midwest with our first-ever fulfillment hub, our expansion into Columbus comes as we continue to grow our logistics network for innovative entrepreneurs, and growinge-commerce companies,” said Saltbox CEO and Co-Founder Tyler Scriven. “Through our Columbus fulfillment center, these companies across the country will now be able to tap into nearly 70% of the U.S. market in just two days. This opportunity to fulfill orders easier and faster will allow our members to scale up their businesses to meet growing demand.”
Last year, as part of its evolution, the company allocated space across its network to provide a new service offering, Saltbox Fulfillment, to help direct-to-consumer e-commerce companies address traditional third-party logistics (3PLs) woes with direct access to services and knowledgeable team members focused on their needs. Since the beginning of 2022, Saltbox has increased monthly fulfillment orders by over 200%, demonstrating the strong demand for its innovative 3PLs offering.
In 2021, Saltbox expanded its flexible warehouse network to five locations, including a new 45,000 square-foot facility in the Los Angeles area as well as a new Denver location with over 102,000 square feet. Saltbox also opened a 66,000-square foot facility in Dallas and a 59,000-square foot facility in Seattle. Adding to its footprint that includes its first 49,000-square foot facility in Atlanta, the flexible warehouse pioneer is planning to open secondary locations in the Los Angeles, Atlanta and Dallas markets.
Of Saltbox’s more than 300 members across its six locations, more than 70% are e-commerce companies that sell physical goods directly to consumers. These small and medium-sized businesses range in a variety of industries including fashion and apparel, health and beauty, home goods, and resale as well as tech in the hardware and services sectors. Half of Saltbox member businesses are led by women or people of color.
In April 2021, Saltbox announced it had completed a $10.6 million Series A round of financing to accelerate the company’s U.S. expansion of its flex-warehouses, co-working spaces and proprietary logistics enablement solutions. Led by Playground Global, the Series A round also included XYZ Venture Capital, and Wilshire Lane Partners. Saltbox plans to open several more locations across the U.S. in 2022, serving e-commerce businesses nationwide.
