BIDDEFORD — The former Hostess Bakery that will soon be home to a FedEx ground distribution operation has a new owner.

STAG Industrial, a Boston-based real estate investment trust, closed on the 265,000-square-foot building on Feb. 9 for $12.43 million, according to CBRE/ The Boulos Co.

The closing came about three weeks after FedEx confirmed on Jan. 21 it had agreed to lease the property. FedEx spokesman David Westrick said the company anticipates opening a ground distribution facility on the Baker’s Way property in July.

“The new facility will join an existing station on Industrial Park Road in Saco, enabling us to continue to meet and exceed customer demands in the Portland area,” Westrick said. “Exact staffing needs have yet to be determined, but the facility will employ a mix of fulland part-time employees. We will add to the workforce as necessary to support increased demand for service in the area.”

Westrick said the site appealed to FedEx because of the building’s proximity to Interstate 95 and Route 1, as well as there being a strong workforce in the community. The facility is part of a nationwide expansion of FedEx ground locations, he said .

Hostess Bakery closed in 2012 following a strike in Biddeford and at Hostess bakeries nationwide; idling 400 workers in the Biddeford location.

In July 2013, Georgiabased Flowers Foods purchased the building, which sits on 40 acres off the Maine Turnpike spur, for $15.3 million, according to online city records.

In October 2014, the property was sold again for $6.8 million to Biddeford Holdings LLC, a partnership between New Mill Capital and Gordon Bros., and the equity firm promptly put it on the market.

The property was most recently assessed at $9.2 million.