Cigars International has broken ground on the expansion project at Lehigh Valley Industrial Park VII in Bethlehem. (photo courtesy J.G. Petrucci Company Inc.)Cigars International, an online and catalog-based retailer of quality cigars, is expanding its headquarters in Bethlehem by an additional 100,000 square-feet, nearly doubling its existing space in the Lehigh Valley.
The company has broken ground on the expansion project at 1911 Spillman Drive in Lehigh Valley Industrial Park VII, where its existing 113,500 square-foot facility is located.
“After several years of strong organic growth, we have simply outgrown our distribution center,” said Matt Buffington, Director of Operations at Cigars International.
“We’ve seen a 20% increase in demand over the past year and need to expand to handle this increase,” Buffington said. “We are expecting continued growth and are very excited to be able to take the next step in helping to better serve our customers.”
The project is expected to be completed by this winter, according to developer J.G. Petrucci Company, Inc.
The expansion will provide Cigars International with more storage and humidor space, and will include advanced material handling equipment and cutting-edge smart logistics features.
"Cigars International is an extraordinary company, and we've been watching their rapid growth for years here in LVIP VII,” said Kerry Wrobel, President of Lehigh Valley Industrial Park. “We're thrilled to see their expansion moving forward at this time.”
Cigars International currently has around 450 employees in the Lehigh Valley, and expects to hire up to 50 more warehouse employees throughout their summer peak season, Buffington said.
The Cigars International building is located within a significant brownfield redevelopment project on land formerly occupied by Bethlehem Steel Corporation. The 13.22-acre site provides excellent connectivity to major highways and is included in the LERTA tax program.
Established in 1996, Cigars International is an industry leader in online and direct marketing of premium to value segmented handmade cigars and tobacco accessories. The company has a portfolio of more than 90 brands and sells an extensive range of handmade cigars directly to 885,000 consumers across the United States.
Petrucci designed and developed Cigar International’s existing facility in Bethlehem and is also undertaking the expansion project.
“Cigars International's expansion is another in a long line of outstanding projects by Jim Petrucci and his team,” Wrobel said. “LVIP congratulates Cigars International and the J.G. Petrucci Company for this major investment in Bethlehem and the regional economy."
Cigars International was represented by Kevin Cain, Managing Director of KW Commercial. The expansion project will be constructed by Petrucci’s in-house construction group, Iron Hill Construction Management.
“It was a pleasure to work again with the team at J.G. Petrucci Company on behalf of Cigars International on their 100,000 square-foot expansion and extension project at 1911 Spillman Drive,” Cain said.