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Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian plans to open a new sales location on Northgate Boulevard, filling a portion of a Fry’s Electronics store that shuttered five years ago, Councilmember Lisa Kaplan’s office announced Monday.
The 60,000-square-foot site, just off the Northgate Boulevard exit of Interstate 80, will offer sales, test drives, service and delivery, a Rivian spokesperson said in an email.
The Irvine-based company and other newer automakers have fought for years to continue selling cars directly to customers, circumventing the traditional model of franchised dealerships. Leaders have argued that direct sales are more lucrative, and give Rivian more control over how its cars are sold and maintained.
Rivian opened a 480,000-square-foot parts distribution center in Metro Air Park in 2025, and has service centers in West Sacramento and Rocklin.
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“Rivian’s decision to expand in District 1 is a tremendous win for Sacramento,” Kaplan said in a statement. “This investment brings quality jobs, new economic activity, and momentum for District 1 that I and my team are working to build on.”
The electronics store closed in 2021, per the Sacramento Business Journal. Fry’s, which sold computer equipment and offered electronics repair, ceased operations in February of that year, shuttering dozens of stores, citing the pandemic and long-term shifts in the retail industry.
The Northgate Boulevard site is expected to open in the third quarter of 2027, Kaplan’s office said in a news release.
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