Patterson Irrigator | Your Local Paper - Longs Drugs sale looms

December 3, 2008 Patterson, CA

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Longs Drugs sale looms

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Written by John Saiz \| Patterson Irrigator
Wednesday, 20 August 2008
Buyer CVS says no changes planned for Patterson distribution center West Coast retailer and pharmacy Longs Drugs is being taken over by CVS Caremark Corp. But changes shouldn’t be too drastic for the major Patterson employer or its local workforce, though the long-recognized name will eventually be changed. Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator Longs Drugs, one of Patterson’s largest employers, is likely to get new ownership, company officials announced last week. A week ago, CVS Caremark Corp. announced its purchase of Longs Drugs and, with it, the massive Patterson distribution center that employs hundreds, as well as the drug store on Sperry Avenue. A CVS representative said there are no plans that’ll significantly alter the Patterson operations. “The Patterson distribution center is a great distribution center,” said Eileen Howard Dunn, CVS’ senior vice president for corporate communications. Patterson’s Brenda Castro looks for items in the Longs Drugs store on Sperry Avenue. Last week, CVS announced the purchase of all Longs outlets in California. Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator She said CVS, which got its start on the East Coast, is excited about moving into the Central Valley and that Patterson is a good location for distribution in the area. If the sale goes through, CVS will acquire all 521 of Longs’ retail outlets in California, Nevada, Hawaii and Arizona, including the Patterson store, and Longs’ three distribution centers. Longs constructed the Patterson distribution center in 2006. The 800,000-square-foot building accepts, sorts and eventually ships hundreds if not thousands of items daily, ranging from jewelry to electronics. The facility operates close to 24 hours a day. Around the time the store opened, Longs officials reported there were close to 470 employees at the distribution center and that the company had plans to expand. Longs did not provide more current employment figures. Sam Rodriguez, pharmacy manager at Longs, fills prescriptions for customers Monday afternoon. Photo by Elias Funez / Patterson Irrigator CVS is in the process of acquiring a controlling interest of Longs’ stock. Until the sale date approaches, the company won’t know when name changes will be implemented, Howard Dunn said. Until then, the company remains under the Longs name, but chances are the name will be gone before too long. The distribution center is the largest building in the Keystone Pacific Business Park in western Patterson. The city planned for the park to be a major job generator at a time when home construction far outpaced industrial growth. “It’s been adding jobs,” said Cleve Morris, Patterson’s city manager. City staff helped recruit the company to Patterson in hopes of landing the distribution center, Morris said. When Longs did decide to relocate its Lathrop center to Patterson, it became a key part the city’s local employment plan. Distribution quickly became a major industry in Patterson, and it was further solidified when the Kohl’s distribution center opened shortly after the Longs facility. Morris hopes some of the other uses envisioned for the park, such as manufacturing or offices, will follow. To reach John Saiz at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Set as favorite Bookmark Email This Hits: 921 Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment Name Email Title Comment smaller \| bigger Subscribe via email (Registered users only) I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.