DVD Factory Planned For Fayetteville

Eric Parkinson plans to buy at least eight acres of land in the Fayetteville Industrial Park and build a DVD factory that will make 50 million disks a year.

The 100,000-SF plant will cost about $5 million to construct and will have about 40 full-time employees, he said. Parkinson plans to spend another $3 million for equipment. He wants to begin construction by July 1 and have the factory operating by Jan. 1.

Parkinson said his video-distribution company, Hannover House, has about 50 wholesale customers, but Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville accounts for about half of his business. He said all of the DVDs he makes are “Wal-Mart friendly.”

Parkinson said he started his DVD business with one children’s potty-training video, “I Gotta Go!” Now, Hannover House has more than 100 titles and brings in about $20 million a year. Currently, Hannover House DVDs are manufactured in California.

“My business has grown tremendously last year due to the explosion in the DVD business,” Parkinson said.

Parkinson said the project is being done by Hannover Development Co. Ltd., and the factory will be called Hannover Media Center.

In addition to DVDs he markets, the factory will also replicate DVDs for major studios, Parkinson said.

The factory is being designed by Jim Foster of Amirmoez Foster Hailey Johnson Architects of Fayetteville.