A high-end clothing company that owns many well-known brands will relocate and expand its South Georgia distribution operations.
Atlanta-based Oxford Industries Inc., which owns several retail brands including Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer and Johnny Was, announced Friday it will build an $130 million distribution facility in Lyons, which is roughly 185 miles southeast of Atlanta. The project is expected to add more than 60 new positions to the company’s South Georgia workforce.
The new facility will occupy a nearly 50-acre site along U.S. 1 in Lyons, a city in Toombs County of about 4,200 residents. The project is described as the first phase of a larger relocation and expansion project, which Oxford Chairman and CEO Tom Chubb said in a news release is “the largest capital investment in our company’s history in Toombs County.”
For nearly 80 years, Oxford has operated a distribution center in Toombs County. The current facility along Victory Drive has an annual capacity of 7 million units, but the expansion will nearly triple the company’s output. The release said Oxford’s new facility can accommodate “future expansion opportunities.”
“We are thrilled Oxford Industries, Inc., chose Toombs County for this milestone business venture,” Toombs County Development Authority Chair Tim Truxel said in the release. “The company has been an outstanding corporate citizen in Toombs County since the 1940′s, supporting our local schools, families, and tax base. When they succeed, the entire community succeeds.”
The release did not disclose whether any local incentives were offered to Oxford as part of the expansion. A Georgia Department of Economic Development spokeswoman said the state did not offer any discretionary incentives as part of this project.
