Gildan Activewear to create over 500 new jobs

The company confirmed that it will invest in excess of $250 million to build a yarn spinning facility behind its Salisbury location, which is currently under construction, and another one in Mocksville, as well as to expand and renovate its Clarkton location. With these projects, Gildan expects to create more than 500 new jobs in North Carolina by the end of 2016.

“Apparel manufacturers like Gildan are further investing in North American operations and North Carolina is just the place for their company to succeed with that,” said Governor McCrory. “The additional skilled manufacturing jobs that they’ll create will strengthen the economy of these counties and demonstrates the strong talent pool and attractive quality of life that characterizes this region of the state.”

Gildan is a leading supplier of quality branded basic family apparel, including T-shirts, fleece, sport shirts, socks and underwear. The company sells its products under a diversified portfolio of brands, including the Gildan, Gold Toe and Anvil brands and brand extensions.

The company distributes its products in printwear markets in the U.S. and Canada, where Gildan is the industry-leading brand, and the company is increasing its penetration in international printwear markets.

Gildan is also one of the largest suppliers of branded athletic, casual and dress socks for a broad spectrum of retailers in the U.S., and is developing Gildan as a consumer brand for underwear and activewear. Gildan has over 33,000 employees worldwide and is committed to industry-leading labor and environmental practices in all of its facilities.

“Gildan is a strong national brand and we’re proud of the footprint they have throughout North Carolina,” said Secretary Decker. “We appreciate the Gildan management team for renewing their commitment to North Carolina and know they’ll find the quality workforce they need to succeed.”

“Our investments in our yarn spinning operations will support our projected sales growth and further reinforce our position as a global low-cost manufacturer. The state-of-the-art product technology to be used in these facilities will continue to differentiate the product quality of Gildan branded products,” stated Gildan Yarns President Chuck Ward. “The State of North Carolina provides us with a qualified textile workforce, competitive energy rates and a good transportation network, which are all central to our expansion projects.”

Salaries for the new positions will vary by job function, but the average annual salaries will exceed $32,270, plus benefits.