Core-Mark International Inc., the big San Francisco-based general merchandise distributor, is expanding its Spokane Valley distribution center with a 50,000-square-foot addition.

Including the addition, Core-Mark will occupy 150,000 square feet of floor space in the Spokane Business & Industrial Park, says Dean Stuart, director of marketing for Crown West Realty LLC, who brokered a 15-year lease for the expanded space.

Stuart says the total value of the project, which will include freezer and cooler space, likely will be $5 million.

Construction is expected to start around July 1 with a project completion goal of Nov. 1, Stuart says.

Core-Mark’s Valley distribution center is located in the northwest corner of the park, and the addition will extend the west end of the building, he says.

Vandervert Construction Inc., of Spokane, is the contractor on the project, and Russell C. Page Architects PS, also of Spokane, designed it.

A Core-Mark executive couldn’t be reached for comment.

Core-Mark distributes food, beverages, and sundries to 29,000 retail locations, including convenience, drug, grocery, and specialty stores.

The company’s website shows the Spokane Valley center is one of 28 distribution centers Core-Mark operates throughout North America, and the only such center it operates in Washington state. The next closest Core-Mark distribution center is in Portland.

Crown West Realty owns and operates Spokane Business & Industrial Park, which is located at 3808 N. Sullivan Road and includes about 5 million square feet of leasable space. Crown West is a real estate investment, development, and management firm with offices here and in Denver, Phoenix, Tucson, and New York.