Ralph Lauren Adding 500 Jobs In High Point

Clothing manufacturer Ralph Lauren has announced it will expand in North Carolina.

Jeff Tiberii: The company plans to add 500 jobs by the end of 2017 while also investing about $100 million. Ralph Lauren is the city’s fourth largest employer and will have nearly 2,000 local workers after these additions. Governor Bev Perdue says the growth is a positive sign for the economy.

Bev Perdue: We’ve got the textiles themselves and we’ve got the call center, we’ve got the call center and today we’re getting their electronic center distribution and a lot of their different skill set jobs. So you’ve got the whole bailey wig here in High Point – which means they ain’t goin’ anywhere and that’s good news for us.

The company will receive about $3.2 million in financial incentives from the city, Guilford County and the state. Thursday’s announcement came just a month after the company said it would add 400 jobs in the state. The average annual wage for the new jobs will be $31,000.