The former Shopko distribution center in Sarpy County will close, which will cost about 300 jobs | Money

Employees arriving on Monday said they were shocked to learn last week that the distribution center was going to close. They thought that its central location and size, the largest in society, would help it survive.

No interviewee would give his name for attribution. The concern of some older and more experienced employees was to start over with fewer vacations and lower wages.

In 2016, Shopko outsourced the distribution of its stores, claiming that the move had saved jobs at the Omaha warehouse because all the workers had been retained. Then this year, the regional retailer declared Chapter 11 bankrupt and announced the closure of more than 100 of its 363 stores, including 20 Shopko stores in Nebraska and Iowa.

This small retail footprint has caused Shopko to need less distribution power. Spectrum America will close warehouses in the Omaha area and in Boise, Idaho. It will maintain a Shopko distribution center in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

"Spectrum deeply appreciates the loyalty of its teammates and our main concern is to help them during this period," the company said in a statement.

Spectrum America said it was still working on the schedule for both closures, but that it would work with employees to help them make the transition to new jobs. He did not specify the nature of the assistance offered.

Nebraska's Labor and Economic Development departments have a quick response program for employees of companies that are downsizing or closing down. Officials said they gathered information about their involvement.

The announcement of the closure of the center comes as several companies in the Omaha region announced job cuts, including Union Pacific, which announced last week reducing its workforce by 250 people, including over half to Omaha.

But the local unemployment rate remained at 2.7% in December, the latest available, according to the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Such a low unemployment rate essentially means that there are more jobs available than people to fill them, according to economists.

Sarpy County, in particular, has been a home of jobs in logistics, including distribution. This gives Andrew Rainbolt, executive director of the Sarpy County Economic Development Corporation, the assurance that these people will find work.

"It's certainly a blow, but it's more reflective of retail than the economy in general," he said. "I hope we can absorb these people in other open positions that are out there."

At the same time, he added, local and regional economic development officials will focus on attracting a new employer to the site, touting the benefits of locating at least part of the distribution network of a site. company in the center of the country.