The Shafter Press - Serving the community since 1922

The Wonderful Company has a new tenant for a million-square-foot commercial building at the Wonderful Industrial Park off of 7th Standard Road.

The company's official announcement did not identify the new tenant, but, according to a real estate insider, it will be national retailer J.M. Smucker Co., which is known for fruit preserves and other food products.

The source, who was not authorized to talk about the project, said the company is expected to begin operation in the first quarter of 2023, and may employee about 150 workers.

The building is one of several that have started as "spec" buildings in the complex. It has a million square feet of space, with 40 feet of clearance, 215 dock-high doors and parking expandable to 1,000 stalls.

Jamie Stewart | The Shafter Press

There are hundreds of dock-high doors in the facility.

Wonderful Company has had success in building spec buildings, giving retail companies a head-start on their needs. "We have buildings that are move-in ready, that might just need a little bit of enhancement or adjustments to make them operational," said John Guinn of Wonderful Company Development. Guinn, who is a former Shafter city manager, said in an interview last year that there is a great demand for space, especially for warehouse and distribution operations.

Wonderful Industrial Park is home to several nationally known retailers, including Amazon, Target, Ross Stores and American Tire Distribution.

Bob Meadows, business development director for the City of Shafter, said he couldn't comment on the report, referring inquiries to the Wonderful Company.

John Guinn would not confirm or deny the identity of the new tenant. "We have an NDA [non-disclosure agreement] with the company that is leasing the property. The information that was received came from people outside of our company," he said.

Several attempts to contact J.M. Smucker Co. went unanswered.