J.B. Hunt Transport Services has purchased Cory 1st Choice Home Delivery, a move meant to “expand our expertise in furniture delivery,” J.B. Hunt President and CEO John Roberts said.
The $100 million deal was announced Jan. 9 and completed Feb. 15, according to a J.B. Hunt press release.
J.B. Hunt, based in Lowell, Ark., will be an exhibitor in the Home Furnishings Association’s Retailer Resource Center at the High Point Market, April 6-8.
Cory, founded in 1934 in Secaucus, N.J., made more than 2 million annual furniture and large appliance deliveries to homes across America through a workforce of 1,000 carriers, contractors and drivers. Its operations will be integrated into J.B. Hunt’s Final Mile Services, part of its Dedicated Contract Services business unit, a company news release said. Including the Cory acquisition, Final Mile now has more than 100 locations and 3.1 million square feet of warehouse and facilities space.
“Cory’s customer-first mentality and focus on the consumer experience have made it one of the best in the furniture business,” said Nick Hobbs, executive vice president and president of Dedicated Contract Services at J.B. Hunt. “Those values very much align with ours, and we are proud to welcome Cory to the J.B. Hunt family.”
In 2017, J.B. Hunt acquired Special Logistics Dedicated, another last-mile service, for $136 million. That company also specializes in “big and bulky” shipments.
Furniture delivery is a fast-growing sector of e-commerce, reflecting growth in online home furnishings purchases. J.B. Hunt, a Fortune 500, S&P 500 and NASDAQ-100 company, is one of the largest supply chain solutions providers in North America.
