The plant will close April 30, eliminating 340 jobs. The company is closing the plant because consumers prefer soft-sided luggage.

The facility will be the largest industrial facility on the market, Jim Bolt, a top industrial broker told GlobeSt.com. "The building has tremendous manufacturing upgrades," Bolt says. "The best use for it is for another manufacturer." If the right user could be found, the building would command an extremely high price, but "if it has to be stripped out and becomes something else, market rental rates are much lower," he says.

The property is part of a campus along Interstate 70 between Peoria and Havana. The downside is the Denver area does not have a substantial base of large manufacturers that could use the site. "I think this will take a national search," says Bolt. "And it will require a real partnership effort between the private sector and the state development agency and the Denver Mayor's office."

Samsonite officials indicate they won't make a decision what to do with the building until later in the year. The company will keep its corporate headquarters in Denver, as well as portions of its national distribution network. "I'm not surprised," Bolt says. "It's a long process with a lot of employee issues. The real estate will certainly be a concern, but it won't be on the front burner right away.

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