By Karen Angel | BloombergBusiness
Every year, thousands of Americans travel to the sprawling Yiwu wholesale market, about 160 miles from Shanghai, to buy supplies for their businesses, whether it’s furniture for a hotel or raw materials to build the furniture. They’ll soon be able to find similar one-stop-shopping convenience closer to home.
In Casa Grande, Ariz., a 1.58 million-square-foot facility called PhoenixMart will house manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers under one roof. Slated to be finished in mid-2016, the marketplace is designed to fill every conceivable customer need. “Many of the people who have been sourcing in China really just want the convenience China offers and can find that at PhoenixMart instead,” says the center’s chief executive officer, Steve Gardner, whose previous work as an executive coach and branding specialist has taken him to Asia.
