Imperial Sales plans $21M move from Bethpage to Melville for expansion of appliance sales
Danny Bindra, Imperial Sales company president, left, and his nephew, Ben Bindra, vice president, at their Bethpage facility on Tuesday. Credit: Elizabeth Sagarin
A small wholesaler of brand-name appliances in Bethpage wants to move back to Suffolk County, where it started 35 years ago, instead of to New Jersey, executives said.
Imperial Sales hopes to purchase an office and warehouse at 135 Baylis Rd. in Melville for $20 million. The 91,430-square-foot building had been home to beverage seller Keurig Dr Pepper until it moved to a newly constructed warehouse next door.
Imperial has been renting an office and warehouse at 999 South Oyster Bay Rd. for more than a decade. The property was once home to Grumman Corp. and was redeveloped into the Bethpage Business Park by the real estate firm Steel Equities with 40 years of tax breaks from the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency.
“Due to rising operational costs, including a substantial rent increase, we are looking to make a permanent investment … by acquiring our own distribution center, which would allow us to expand,” said president and founder Danny Bindra.
“We’ve been actively looking in New Jersey and New York,” he said in a presentation to the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency with his nephew, Ben Bindra, Imperial's vice president.
“We would very much like to stay on Long Island,” Danny Bindra said last month. “A bunch of our customers are here, a lot of our [vendors] are here, our employees are here, but we need your help.”
Property taxes, payroll taxes and other taxes in New Jersey, as well as employee wages, are lower than on Long Island, Bindra said.
Imperial cannot offer competitive prices to retailers in the Northeast that it serves by passing along the higher operating costs, he said in response to a question from IDA treasurer Sondra Cochran.
The IDA board voted unanimously to grant preliminary approval for $671,700 in tax breaks, including $496,160 off property taxes over 10 years, or a 27.5% savings.
In return, Imperial would move its 20 employees to Melville and add four jobs over the next two years. The new jobs would pay $55,405 per year, on average, according to the application for IDA aid.
The total cost of the company's move would be $21 million, with the lion's share going for the building purchase, the application shows.
IDA board member Brian Beedenbender, a business executive and former county legislator, expressed surprise at the $20 million price tag for the Baylis Road warehouse. “That’s a very expensive building,” he said.
IDA board member Cristofer Damianos, a commercial real estate developer, said there was increased demand for warehouse space because more consumers were shopping online since the COVID-19 pandemic and some building owners prefer to rent rather than sell their properties.
Jennifer B. Appel, Imperial's real estate attorney, said the Baylis Road property — at 9.6 acres — would allow for additional office and warehouse space should the company decide to expand beyond its primary business of distributing more than 8,000 different kitchen appliances, beauty equipment and portable lighting.
Imperial handles products from Hamilton Beach, Procter & Gamble, SC Johnson, 3M Brands, Conair and Lifetime Brands Inc., among others. The latter is based in Uniondale.
Kelly Murphy, the IDA’s CEO and executive director, said if the agency didn't help Imperial, “we may lose them to a lower-cost region.”
“When a business invests in property, like Imperial plans to do, they are more likely to stay and grow in the county,” she said in an interview.
A small wholesaler of brand-name appliances in Bethpage wants to move back to Suffolk County, where it started 35 years ago, instead of to New Jersey, executives said.
Imperial Sales hopes to purchase an office and warehouse at 135 Baylis Rd. in Melville for $20 million. The 91,430-square-foot building had been home to beverage seller Keurig Dr Pepper until it moved to a newly constructed warehouse next door.
Imperial has been renting an office and warehouse at 999 South Oyster Bay Rd. for more than a decade. The property was once home to Grumman Corp. and was redeveloped into the Bethpage Business Park by the real estate firm Steel Equities with 40 years of tax breaks from the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency.
“Due to rising operational costs, including a substantial rent increase, we are looking to make a permanent investment … by acquiring our own distribution center, which would allow us to expand,” said president and founder Danny Bindra.
“We’ve been actively looking in New Jersey and New York,” he said in a presentation to the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency with his nephew, Ben Bindra, Imperial's vice president.
“We would very much like to stay on Long Island,” Danny Bindra said last month. “A bunch of our customers are here, a lot of our [vendors] are here, our employees are here, but we need your help.”
Property taxes, payroll taxes and other taxes in New Jersey, as well as employee wages, are lower than on Long Island, Bindra said.
Imperial cannot offer competitive prices to retailers in the Northeast that it serves by passing along the higher operating costs, he said in response to a question from IDA treasurer Sondra Cochran.
The IDA board voted unanimously to grant preliminary approval for $671,700 in tax breaks, including $496,160 off property taxes over 10 years, or a 27.5% savings.
In return, Imperial would move its 20 employees to Melville and add four jobs over the next two years. The new jobs would pay $55,405 per year, on average, according to the application for IDA aid.
The total cost of the company's move would be $21 million, with the lion's share going for the building purchase, the application shows.
IDA board member Brian Beedenbender, a business executive and former county legislator, expressed surprise at the $20 million price tag for the Baylis Road warehouse. “That’s a very expensive building,” he said.
IDA board member Cristofer Damianos, a commercial real estate developer, said there was increased demand for warehouse space because more consumers were shopping online since the COVID-19 pandemic and some building owners prefer to rent rather than sell their properties.
Jennifer B. Appel, Imperial's real estate attorney, said the Baylis Road property — at 9.6 acres — would allow for additional office and warehouse space should the company decide to expand beyond its primary business of distributing more than 8,000 different kitchen appliances, beauty equipment and portable lighting.
Imperial handles products from Hamilton Beach, Procter & Gamble, SC Johnson, 3M Brands, Conair and Lifetime Brands Inc., among others. The latter is based in Uniondale.
Kelly Murphy, the IDA’s CEO and executive director, said if the agency didn't help Imperial, “we may lose them to a lower-cost region.”
“When a business invests in property, like Imperial plans to do, they are more likely to stay and grow in the county,” she said in an interview.
James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.
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