The Hachette Book Group will be making a couple of big real estate moves this year as it expands its distribution center in Indiana and relocates its New York City headquarters as well as moving its Boston offices. In October, HBG will leave its home of eight years at 237 Park Ave. in Manhattan and head to Sixth Ave and 52nd St., just up the street from Simon & Schuster. The expansion of the Lebanon, Ind. facility will begin in March and will add 218,000 sq. ft. of space, giving HBG 1.5 million sq. ft. in two buildings.
The expansion of its Indiana plant, HBG says, will allow the company to control its own physical supply chain while giving it more room to add distribution clients.“Distribution is a vital and growing part of our business at HBG, and it continues to be a high priority,” says HBG CEO Michael Pietsch, adding that the warehouse expansion” will allow us to continue on this path.”
The move in New York will put HBG's staff in a building on 1290 Sixth Avenue. Pietsch said the company is "thrilled to move back across town to a terrific neighborhood, in the heart of the city and close to the media companies and major literary agencies we work so closely with." And, in addition to the Manhattan relocation, the company will also be relocating its Boston offices. Boston staffers will be staying in their same neighborhood, but moving to a new building at 53 State Street. Both new offices, Pietsch noted, will be "100% open plan" with no individual offices.
