Wauwatosa-based Briggs & Stratton Corp. plans to close its Germantown distribution center by April 1 as the company stops selling portable generators, pressure washers and snow throwers to mass retail centers in North America.
The company made the decision to exit those business lines “as we focus our resources to drive profitable growth for the company,” Lauren Vagnini, director of communications, said in an email.
“We remain committed to supporting our retail customers throughout the spring season,” Vagnini added.
News of the closure was first reported by the Milwaukee Business Journal on Friday.
Briggs announced plans to lease the 700,000-square-foot Germantown facility in 2018 as it consolidated several smaller facilities in the region. Located on Holy Hill Road near I-41, the building was developed by Zilber with tax incremental financing support from the village of Germantown. It was the first of a number of industrial buildings in the area and installing the necessary infrastructure helped pave the way for additional development.
Zilber sold the building to Pennsylvania-based Exeter Property Group in July 2021 for nearly $48 million.
Vagnini said the number of hourly positions impacted by the closure is less than 50 hourly positions Briggs currently has open at other local facilities.
“These employees will go through the contractual bumping process or have the opportunity to fill these open roles,” she said.
Briggs has gone through significant change since the Germantown facility was opened, including a Chapter 11 bankruptcy process that led to the company being bought by KPS Capital Partners.
