United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) announced March 30 its plans for a new leased distribution center in Manchester, Pennsylvania. Construction is under way and expected to be complete within the next 15 months, according to a news release.

The new 1.3 million-square-foot, temperature-controlled facility will be located at 1025 Locust Point Road in Manchester. The facility will add to UNFI’s portfolio of distribution centers in Pennsylvania — which also includes locations in Philadelphia, Allentown, Harrisburg, New Stanton and Carlisle­ — to accommodate UNFI’s growing customer base in the Mid-Atlantic region, according to the release.

The addition of the Manchester distribution center is also an investment in UNFI associates, according to the release: The facility will “offer an enhanced overall experience highlighted by a lifestyle center aimed at improving retention and overall employee engagement through a more modern, associate-friendly workplace.”

“Our York facility, located less than 15 minutes away, has felt the impact of both new and existing customer growth we’ve experienced in this region over the last 12-18 months,” UNFI COO Erin Horvath said in the release. “Leasing this facility allows us to best utilize our capital and manage Company resources all while delivering on our transformation program, to enhance our distribution network by enabling our multi-echelon re-distribution strategy to effectively support our customer growth. Similar to several other UNFI facilities, this new distribution center will implement technology and automation solutions designed to enable greater network capacity, scalability, and profitability.”

UNFI has made a series of changes to its executive staff since the new year, including promoting Horvath to COO and Louis Martin to President of Wholesale. The company also announced UNFI Retail CEO Michael Stigers will depart later this spring.

Earlier this month, UNFI announced it is advancing its initiatives to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of its supply chain.