The children’s clothing company Carter’s is bringing 200 professional jobs to Atlanta, closing a Connecticut office that employed 175.
The positions are primarily in store operations, finance and information technology. With the jobs in Connecticut, the company’s headquarters were effectively split between that state and Atlanta, said Sean McHugh, Carter’s vice president of investor relations. By bringing the jobs to Georgia, Carter’s employees will be better able to collaborate with each other, he said.
Both the city and the state were said to have provided incentives to bring the Carter’s jobs here, but the details of what was offered were not available Thursday afternoon. The company may qualify for Quality Job Tax Credits and has been recommended for a business assistance grant, Georgia Department of Economic Development spokeswoman Alison Tyrer said.
In a statement, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said he applauded the company’s decision to create more jobs in Atlanta, while Gov. Nathan Deal said he looks forward to helping Carter’s thrive.
McHugh said it was too soon to know whether the Shelton, Ct. employees would be moved to Atlanta, but Carter’s expects to spend about $13 million on recruiting and relocation, and will pay about $10 million in severance and other benefit costs, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The total cost of the move is expected to be between $35 and $40 million.
Carter’s is also looking for more space in the Atlanta area, McHugh said, including the possibility of a new headquarters site. The company currently has 400 people at its Midtown headquarters and employs a total of 1,200 people in metro Atlanta.
There are no further plans to move about 80 employees in New York or Wisconsin to Georgia, McHugh said. The current consolidation should be finished by the end of 2013.
“Across all our lines of business, we’ve got plans in place to grow,” he said. “What we’re doing today supports our strategy.”
