After 73 years in enterprise, the Merchandiser has closed its doorways and is promoting the corporate.
House owners Carol Smith, Sue Longenecker and George Kapp of Kapp Promoting Service Inc., which revealed the Merchandiser, mentioned in a posted discover that the paper’s Dec. 27 version could be the corporate’s final.
The discover mentioned the homeowners had made the powerful choice to place the enterprise up on the market and cease printing the Merchandiser.
“Each homeowners and staff want to thank our advertisers and readers…on your a few years of loyal readership,” the discover mentioned.
Previous to the Merchandiser’s closure, the free group paper was delivered weekly to 230,000 properties all through central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland, in line with the corporate’s web site.
The paper supplied industrial and personal celebration labeled promoting, in addition to weekly options together with eating and leisure, the cooking nook, obituaries and the group and public public sale calendars. `
It was based in 1948 by Lestor Benson and offered to Robert S. Kapp in 1950, when it had a circulation of two,300 properties.
Initially positioned on West Fundamental Road in Myerstown, the enterprise finally expanded to supply eight native editions in Western Berks, Hershey, Lebanon, Myerstown, Gettysburg, Hanover, Hampstead/Manchester, and Northern Adams/York.
On the time of closing, the Merchandiser operated out of two buildings — a 26,100-square-foot industrial and workplace constructing at 100 E. Cumberland Road, Lebanon, and a 19,000-square-foot warehouse at 6 Pine Road, Hanover.
The Lebanon location is listed for $1.85 million, and the Hanover location for $1.95 million, in line with realtor Joshua Miller of Bennet William Industrial, which is dealing with the sale of the properties and enterprise.
“We’ve had many showings at each properties already. There was plenty of curiosity up to now,” Miller mentioned.
The enterprise is promoting for $750,000, and homeowners are additionally promoting paper, ink, and different printing stock for $140,000, and furnishings, fixtures and gear — corresponding to vans, printing presses, desks, and computer systems — for $1.4 million, in line with Miller.
The Western Berks version of the Merchandiser has been revealed since 1971.
It was delivered to 33,528 Berks households in Mohnton, Wernersville, Shillington, Sinking Spring, Wyomissing, West Garden, West Studying, Reinholds, Morgantown, Robesonia, Womelsdorf, Studying, Mount Penn, Exeter, Denver and East Earl.