By Joshua Burd
A three-year-old clothing manufacturer could be moving to Kearny, following the approval of a 10-year, $37.2 million incentive to support a new 113,000-square-foot facility in the town.
The state Economic Development Authority on Thursday approved the tax credit for Suuchi Inc. to lease a recently developed space at 1 Eastern Road. Currently based in North Bergen, the company has proposed creating some 410 jobs in connection with the move, along with a capital investment of nearly $11 million.
Suuchi designs, manufacturers and ships clothing for American apparel fashion brands and Fortune 1000 companies, according to the EDA. The company specializes in large and small batch sourcing, design and production quantity runs of men’s, women’s and children’s clothing and accessories, selling to young designers launching fashion labels, retailers that want private-label clothing made in America and large firms supplying uniforms to the casino and hospitality industries.
The move would represent a large commitment to Kearny Point, where developer Hugo Neu is redeveloping a 130-acre former shipyard at the nexus of the Hackensack and Passaic rivers. The EDA did not mention Kearny Point by name, but marketing materials for the project identify 1 Eastern Road as a planned state-of-the-art distribution center within the Kearny Point Industrial Park.
The full Kearny Point redevelopment is expected to span 3 million square feet.
Succhi told the EDA it was also considering an alternate location in Charlotte, but that New Jersey was the more expensive option. The authority projects the move would provide a net benefit to the state of $3.7 million over 20 years.
