Columbia, S.C. - Gov. Mark Sanford, the South Carolina Department of Commerce, and the Spartanburg County Economic Development Corporation today announced that adidas Group will build state-of-the-art distribution facilities in Spartanburg. The footwear facility will be approximately 1.1 million square feet and an apparel facility measuring approximately 800,000 square feet. The $150 million project is expected to create 1200 jobs in Spartanburg County.
The adidas Group will consolidate the adidas brand’s apparel distribution center and the Reebok brand’s apparel distribution center and footwear distribution center into new facilities in Spartanburg, S.C., by fall 2009. The decision to develop an integrated distribution network will strengthen the Group’s competitive position and operational efficiencies, as well as contribute to the synergies created by the integration of adidas and Reebok.
“Today’s announcement is further evidence that our efforts to improve the economic conditions for business growth are producing real results,” said Gov. Mark Sanford. “As we work to diversify our economy, our state’s ability to attract and grow world-class companies like adidas is increasingly important. Given the size of this investment and the number of jobs that come along with it, this is a real win for Spartanburg County.”
“As businesses work smarter to develop operations in strategic locations, South Carolina continues to be an ideal choice. This investment presents new opportunities for the Upstate as an enormous job creator and gives more industries reason to look to South Carolina. Once again, our state’s business friendly climate, access to markets, quality workforce, and excellent infrastructure are opening new doors and working to grow our economy” said Joe Taylor, South Carolina Secretary of Commerce. “Thanks to the team efforts of local officials in Spartanburg County and the Department of Commerce, Spartanburg will benefit greatly from this investment.”
“This expansion demonstrates that Spartanburg's location provides excellent access to U.S. markets via our location along I-85 and I-26 along with other key infrastructure,” said Jeff Horton, chairman of Spartanburg County Council. “It was a pleasure to be involved in this expansion and we applaud the adidas Group for choosing Spartanburg County as the place to grow their thriving business enterprise. We are excited that a company of this caliber has decided to expand and grow in our community.”
“It is always a welcomed opportunity when we can assist not only in the creation of new jobs, but also in the retention of jobs for our citizens. Creating jobs and capital investment in Spartanburg is our core objective at the SCEDC,” stated R. Carter Smith, CEO of Spartanburg County Economic Development Corporation. ”We are pleased that an existing company such as this has chosen to expand and grow in Spartanburg.”
The adidas Group is one of the global leaders within the sporting goods industry, offering a broad range of products around three core segments such as adidas, Reebok and TaylorMade-adidas Golf. Headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Germany, the Group has more than 26,000 employees and sales of over €10 billion.