US confectionery firm Hershey Foods has announced plans to build a US$65m distribution centre in Edwardsville, Illinois.

The new 1.1m sq ft distribution centre will bring around 250 jobs to the southern Illinois town.

“This is the next key step in optimising our U.S. distribution network,” Bill Turner, Hershey’s vice president of logistics and customer service, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.