Gildan Activewear inaugurates distribution center

Between peeks of sunlight and rain clouds, a Montreal-based activewear company officially inaugurated its new distribution center on the Cainhoy Peninsula today.

Officials from Gildan Activewear Inc., which makes a variety of t-shirts, socks and underwear for the wholesale and retail markets, were on hand for the ribbon-cutting on Clements Ferry Road.

Gildan President and CEO Glenn J. Chamandy said the company, which employs 25,000 workers worldwide, planned to locate 250 jobs at the site and would make Charleston its retail headquarters. Today, retail sales make up for 30% of the company’s $1.3 billion in sales, he said.

“We entered the retail market back in 2009,” Chamandy said. “We expect this to be a major part of our business in the coming years.”

The company also is moving its customer service and marketing divisions to the Charleston distribution center, which is located in Berkeley County. The company owns a manufacturing plant in Clarkton, N.C. The site of the distribution facility, which is 850,000 square feet, offers enough land for it to double in size as the company grows.

Charleston Mayor Joe Riley likened the company’s investment in the Charleston area to a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day of the global economy.

“For this achievement to occur was a wonderful ray of sunshine,” Riley said.

Riley said the facility and the entrance of Gildan into the Charleston market showed the combination of the work ethic of the region’s work force and the value of having the Port of Charleston down the road.

“It focuses the qualities our community has to offer,” Riley said.

Commerce Secretary Joe Taylor echoed Riley’s comments about the port, saying that it shows how South Carolina’s economy and job growth are being driven by the shipping industry

“I think we do a really good job of making companies feel comfortable they can be successful here,” Taylor said.

Gildan will make good use of the port, Chamandy said. The company owns facilities in the United States, Central America, the Caribbean and Bangladesh. Gildan buys and refines its cotton in the United States, ships it to manufacturing sites in other countries and brings it back for distribution. The Charleston port will be the hub for those operations.

“We are one of the largest consumers of U.S cotton,” Chamandy said.

Gildan sells its products in more than 30 countries, including 500 million shirts in 2009.

“We’re looking forward to a long, successful relationship,” Chamandy said.