Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: Comics, diamond, los angeles, olive branch

Diamond To Close Los Angeles Warehouse

Published Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:46:43 -0600

Last updated Wed, 08 Dec 2010 08:49:37 -0600

In a week when the LA Distribution Center has been beset with delays, Diamond Comics Distribution has informed comic stores that the warehouse will be closed from next March.

It's been a good long while since Diamond closed any such warehouse. In 2008 they consolidated a few into the new massive Olive Branch centre, but at one point they used to have 24 warehouses. Now they'll have 4. The impact of this move will mean there will be no storage facility for comics and their like on the West Coast.

Affected retailers will notice a change immediately in the new year, with January the fifth delivering the last shipment from Diamond Los Angeles. The next week, all deliversies will come from their new, expanded Olive Branch center in Mississippi. Customers who pick up from the Los Angeles warehouse can continue to do so until March, and then will move over to a new LA-based pick up point.

In a letter, Diamond talks about the decision saying;

This decision was not an easy one to make and we recognize that change of this sort is potentially concerning to our customers. However, with our lease on the L.A. facility set to expire, and with our capacity for growth in Olive Branch, we determined the timing was right to consolidate operations. We are very confident you will continue to receive the high level of service you have come to expect from Diamond. As a point of note, based on our quality control monitoring of shortages, damages, and overages, the Olive Branch facility consistently scores on par with Los Angeles. The Olive Branch staff is dedicated to providing you with the best possible service to help your business prosper, and we look forward to delivering that service to you in the years ahead.

With Diamond launching a digital distribution service for stores later this year, the direct market for comic sales continuing to shrink, and the economic situation biting, this may be the last such news of the year, but there may be much more to come.

Bleeding Cool's thoughts are with Diamond's LA employees at this time of the year. But Diamond states that their Regional Manager James Nash will be moving to Olive Branch, will keep a number of employees in LA for some time, and will help other workers move to Olive Branch.

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