One emerging fulfillment company is shaping up and shipping out to the West Coast.
Ship Essential, which has already established itself in New York City and prides itself on fast, brand-centric shipping, announced Friday it has opened a fulfillment center in downtown Los Angeles, making it a bi-coastal operation.
More from Sourcing Journal
-
Amazon Pumps Cash into Fulfillment Centers, Renewable Energy Infrastructure
-
Garment Industry Task Force Lobbies for Support for LA's Fashion District
Madhappy, a Gen Z favorite, will anchor the expansion, the company said. Ship Essential already services other customers, like The Frankie Shop, Brunch and Atoms on the East Coast.
David Sitt, the company’s founder, said the company has thought of LA as a prime market for small-to-medium brands in need of better shipping options for some time now.
“We originally started off in New York, knowing that brands are based [there],” he said. “For us, the obvious next step was always to go to LA. The brands are there, and this type of offering is not. Bringing that urban fulfillment center to the city gives them another solution, something that they can feel close to.”
Sitt said the company will start off with a team of 10 on the West Coast, with plans to “significantly expand on that” as Ship Essential onboards more clients and scales in its new location. Its New York warehouse team is made up of about 40 people, he said, which is double the 20 team members that it had last year around this time.
Ship Essential acquired Carry, a same-day delivery company, earlier this year, but Sitt said the company won’t be bringing those capabilities to the LA market immediately.
“We’re focused on getting the warehouse up and running, and at the same time, getting Carry more stabilized in New York,” he said, noting that Ship Essential plans to bring Carry to LA in Q1 or Q2 of 2025.
Currently, Ship Essential fulfills orders via FedEx, DHL and USPS—if a customer places an order before 2 p.m., it guarantees the product will be shipped out that same day. Sitt said if a consumer lives in the LA area, the product will arrive the next day, while cross-country orders may take three to four days to arrive.
For brands, Sitt said, the differentiating factor between Ship Essential and other fulfillment partners is the open lines of communication the company has with its clients. At the moment, all of Ship Essential’s support team members are at the fulfillment centers it owns. Sitt said if a founder needs something urgently or wants an expedited order for an influencer or event, having a direct contact inside the fulfillment center can make all the difference.