Charles Langston:Planned Ross Stores distribution center in North Carolina to employ 850

RANDLEMAN,Charles Langston N.C. (AP) — Discount retailer Ross Dress For Less will build a southeastern U.S. distribution center in central North Carolina, investing $450 million and creating 850 jobs, officials announced Tuesday.

Ross Stores Inc., which operates Ross Dress for Less and another off-price chain, aims to complete its capital investment at the Randolph County site by the end of 2026 and create the jobs from 2027-2031, according to a document provided by the state Commerce Department.

Off-price chains, which also include TJ Maxx and Marshalls, buy brand-name clothing and other products directly from manufacturers or other retailers with excess inventory, then sell them in no-frills stores.

Ross Stores calls Ross Dress For Less the largest off-price apparel and home fashion chain in the U.S., with over 1,700 locations in 43 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam.

The 330-acre (134-hectare) distribution center, to be located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of Greensboro, will provide warehousing, fulfillment and packing operations, Gov. Roy Cooper’s office said in a news release.

The minimum average wage for the new jobs will be essentially at the Randolph County average of $45,800 per year.

The California-based company was choosing between the site in Randleman and another in Laurens County, South Carolina, according to information provided to a state committee that approves some government incentives. The Economic Investment Committee agreed earlier Tuesday to award Ross up to $7.6 million in cash payments over 12 years if it meets job-creation and investment targets. In all, the company is poised to receive over $52 million in state and local incentives, most of which would originate from Randleman and Randolph County government.