Online stylist Stitch Fix to open Atlanta area distribution hub

Online personal shopping sites such as Stitch Fix, which send consumers a curated box of clothing, seem to be proliferating. Now, even brick and mortar stores such as local Evereve are getting into the game. (Tom Sweeney/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS)

Online personal shopping sites such as Stitch Fix, which send consumers a curated box of clothing, seem to be proliferating. Now, even brick and mortar stores such as local Evereve are getting into the game. (Tom Sweeney/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS)

Online personal styling retailer Stitch Fix plans to open a new warehouse operation in Douglas County, a project that will create more than 900 jobs, Gov. Brian Kemp’s office said Friday.

The company will locate its new distribution center along Factory Shoals Road in Lithia Springs, about 15 miles west of downtown Atlanta. Stitch Fix offers online personal styling for the masses. Clients answer online questions about their apparel preferences and stylists select and ship outfits, shoes and accessories.

“Georgia is truly honored to welcome Stitch Fix to Douglas County,” Kemp said in the release. “Without question, the company’s investment in the Peach State is a testament to our business-friendly climate, access to top talent, and world-class logistics infrastructure.”

The project was recruited under the code name “Southern Charm,” according to Douglas County records. A County Commission agenda packet said Stitch Fix considered the Atlanta area and Charlotte, N.C., for the facility. The project was first reported by real estate publication CoStar News.

A project fact sheet describes the center as a $56 million investment with 981 jobs at an average wage of $15.82 per hour.

Stitch Fix will qualify for total state and local incentives of more than $16 million if it reaches its jobs goals. The perks include nearly $8.6 million in tax credits for newly created jobs, a nearly $1 million state grant, $140,000 in sales and use tax exemptions, and nearly $6.6 million in local property tax breaks.

The Stitch Fix project follows the announcement Wednesday of a new Amazon distribution center that will straddle the Gwinnett and DeKalb county lines. The Amazon facility is expected to employ 1,000.

Georgia is a southeastern hub for e-commerce and traditional retail distribution facilities. Warehouses for retailers such as Amazon, the parent company of Calvin Klein and Tory Burch dot the metro Atlanta area.

The Atlanta region boasts a rail network, a freeway system and global ports, including sea ports in Savannah and Brunswick, and the world’s busiest airport in Atlanta.