By David Hill for the Charlotte Business Journal

A chain of discount department stores is planning a huge distribution center in North Carolina that could result in hundreds of new jobs.

Ross Dress for Less won North Carolina economic development incentives today for a distribution center in Randleman — located in Randolph County, south of Greensboro. That project will create 852 jobs over five years.

The N.C. Economic Investment Committee approved a package of incentives worth up to $8.4 million for Ross, which wants to build a 1.7 million-square-foot distribution center. The total expected investment was listed at $450 million through the end of 2026.

The 852 jobs include 550 full-time positions through third-party staffing not included in the calculation for the state incentives package. Ross Dress for Less retail jobs in the state are not included in the incentives either.

Average annual wages for the jobs would be $45,806, compared to Randolph County’s average of $45,801.

The company also stands to get incentive packages from Randolph County and the city of Randleman.

The Randleman site was competing with a finalist in Laurens County, South Carolina, where a package of state and local incentive grants were also offered, according to staff of the N.C. Department of Commerce.

No site was identified by the Commerce Department or committee, but Randolph County Economic Development Corp. President Kevin Franklin identified it as the I-74 Industrial Center. The park is a project of Greensboro’s Samet Corp.

According to RCEDC, approximately 170 acres was under an options agreement with Samet, which worked with the agency to secure more acreage for the planned 330-acre site from adjacent property owners.

Randleman and Randolph County offered $38.6 million in incentives over 15 years to lure Ross. The county will also convey 30 acres of county property valued at $1 million to Ross.

According to RCEDC, a deciding factor for Ross Stores was a labor analysis by consultant J.M. Mullis that found the Triad has the necessary labor market for the project.

Ross Dress for Less is part of Ross Stores Inc. (NASDAQ: ROST), headquartered in the east San Francisco Bay area with 2023 revenue of $20.4 billion. The company describes Ross Dress for Less as the largest off-price apparel and home fashion chain in the United States with 1,764 stores and 345 dd’s Discounts locations. In its most recent annual report, the company said it believes Ross Dress for Less can expand to 2,900 stores and dd’s Discounts to 700 locations.