Music & Arts Center has expanded its presence in Texas, opening five stores in the past year and moving into a new, 17,000-square-foot distribution facility in Dallas County.

The new stores, located in Allen, Arlington, Frisco, Hurst and Webster, bring Music & Arts’ total store count in Texas to 11. The company also has 12 road reps calling on Texas schools and 32 affiliate retailers statewide.

The new Dallas warehouse, which opened in July, has space for as many as 20,000 instruments, according to a statement from Music & Arts. The facility also serves as a refurbishment location for instruments returned in Texas and other markets, including Arizona, Nevada and Colorado. Increasing the size of the Texas hub will let Music & Arts stock more products for stores throughout Texas. More storage will also provide the hub’s reps with easier access to fulfill customer orders.

In related news, Music & Arts has expanded its presence in the Boston area. In March 2008, its distribution facility was moved from the former Coffey Music location to a new 8,750-square-foot facility in Walpole, Mass.

Currently, the warehouse has 5,500 instruments in stock with the flexibility to hold up to 15,000 instruments at a time. The larger site better accommodates the increase in demand generated from the stores and affiliates it serves, which include retail stores and affiliates in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut. The new location also provides access to major transportation routes.

“The new distribution facilities and additional Music & Arts stores further demonstrate the company’s commitment to providing the best services possible to meet the needs of our customers,” said Ken O’Brien, president of Music & Arts. “The expansion will allow us to better serve our growing customer base in both markets.”

musicarts.com