DHL Supply Chain closing Rural Hall facility by year's end; 81 jobs affected

The DHL Supply Chain operations in Rural Hall will cease by the end of the year, affecting 81 employees, the company said in a WARN Act notice posted Wednesday by the N.C. Commerce Department.

DHL did not list a reason for closing the 261,300-square-foot facility at 540 Northridge Park Drive.

The company is the largest contract logistics providers in the Americas.

DHL could not be immediately reached for comment on whether the facility closure is related to its January 2025 acquisition of the Supply Chain Solutions unit of Inmar Intelligence.

The company said it would start eliminating jobs on Aug. 5 and most employees would be let go by Nov. 30.

The majority of the jobs at the facility are returns processors at 47, along with eight order filler pickers.

The federal Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notice Act requires companies to notify state Commerce and local elected officials of mass layoffs of more than 50 employees. Affected workers are to be given notice of a potential closing at least 60 days in advance.

The act provides certain benefits to laid-off workers, such as 60 days of pay and benefit contributions if the closing date is immediate, as well as access to COBRA insurance benefits for 60 days.

It also triggers emergency employment and job-training services from N.C. Commerce Department.

In the January 2025 transaction, DHL gained 14 return centers and about 800 associates from Inmar.

Inmar said DHL would sublease office space in One West Fourth "for the foreseeable future with about 40 Inmar associates joining DHL."

Inmar added in January 2025 that "no jobs have been lost" locally from the transaction.

The sale made DHL Supply Chain the largest provider of reverse logistics solutions in North America, although Inmar retains its pharmaceutical reverse distribution business, including Rx Returns and Rx Recalls."

DHL Supply Chain said the Inmar acquisition strengthens its returns capabilities to include product remarketing, recall management and supply chain performance analytics.

"As companies strive to simplify their supply chain strategies and enhance their operational agility, DHL Supply Chain continues to innovate to provide comprehensive and integrated solutions," Patrick Kelleher, chief executive of DHL Supply Chain's North America unit, said in January 2025.

"This acquisition strengthens our existing capabilities, allowing us to offer our customers a single-source solution for their entire supply chain, including the critical and complex area of returns management."

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