BuySeasons to expand in New Berlin

BuySeasons Inc. is planning a 130,000-square-foot addition to its 360,000-square-foot distribution center, manufacturing facility and headquarters in New Berlin.
The company, which operates the online Halloween costume store BuyCostumes.com and several other costume and party-related web sites, now has 500 permanent employees. It had about 400 permanent employees one year ago.
The company also has a large number of seasonal workers, because its busiest season is in September and early October, said Jalem Getz, president and chief executive officer of BuySeasons. The company has about 1,000 employees in total and forecasts to have about 2,200 employees for this year’s peak season.
BuySeasons’ growth has been fueled by its 2008 acquisition of Celebrate Express, which was formerly headquartered in North Carolina. That company has been consolidated into BuySeasons’ New Berlin plant, where it makes paper plates, cups and party favor boxes sold for children’s birthday parties.
BuySeasons hopes to break ground for the expansion later this year, but still needs its plans to be approved by New Berlin officials, Getz said. The company needs to expand its distribution space in time for the 2011 Halloween season and needs to have that space ready by next July.
If the company is unable to break ground this year, it will seek an out-of-state distribution center, Getz said.
"If we can get that (approval from New Berlin), terrific, but if we can’t, then it’s not as important to build here," Getz said. "We would look for another distribution center out of state – that might be permanent, it might not be."