Merchants Foodservice, one of the fastest-growing food distributors in the nation, will hold a ribbon cutting and open house on June 1 for the recent expansion to its distribution center in Clanton.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. until noon at the distribution center, which is located at 2450 Big M Boulevard, according to a press release. The public is invited to attend.

Many local officials are being invited, according to Merchants spokesman Joshua Wilson.

“We’re looking forward to having a good crowd,” Wilson said.

Merchants distributes food products and also other items needed by its customer base.

The $8 million expansion adds to the dry and frozen storage capacities of the facility, which serves nearly 3,000 customers predominantly in the state of Alabama and throughout the Florida Panhandle.

The distribution center has been expanded four times since its initial construction in 1999 and now comprises 200,000 square feet of dry and refrigerated warehouse space with 8 million cubic feet of storage space.

It is believed the upcoming event will be the first open house at the facility.

Merchants is the third-largest employer in Chilton County with about 200 employees.

Headquartered in Hattiesburg, Miss., Merchants Foodservice is ranked 12th in sales volume among the approximately 2,600 food distribution companies in the United States with 2015 sales of nearly $650 million and 1,000 employees.

In addition to the facility in Clanton, other distribution centers are located in Jackson, Miss.; Newberry, S.C.; and Tifton, Ga.

Food safety, sustainability and the latest technology remain at the core of the company’s mission to provide quality products and services to customers.

For more information on Merchants, visit www.merchantsfoodservice.com.