CHINA GROVE, N.C. (AP) — Macy’s Inc. announced plans Thursday to build a distribution and online order fulfillment center in central North Carolina that ultimately will employ about 2,800 people.

What You Need To Know

  • The $584 project is planned for China Grove, northeast of Charlotte

  • Macy's could receive $2.3 million in state grants if it meets job-creation and investment goals, and it is expected to get state and local incentives valued at $58 million

  • Most of the jobs created would pay below Rowan County’s average salary of $48,360

The department store and online retail giant said in a news release that it will invest $584 million in the project in China Grove, in Rowan County, 35 miles northeast of Charlotte.

The logistics center and warehouse, which will open in 2024, will provide automated services for orders to be shipped directly to consumers, Gov. Roy Cooper’s office said. The center will handle 30% of Macy’s digital supply chain capacity when fully operational, the company said.

New York-based Macy’s had narrowed potential center sites to North Carolina and South Carolina, according to a document provided by the N.C. Department of Commerce.

“This state-of-the-art facility ... will support growth of our business as a leading omnichannel retailer,” Macy’s chief supply chain officer Dennis Mullahy said in a news release.

Most of the jobs created would pay below Rowan County’s average salary of $48,360, according to information presented to a state panel that approved an agreement earlier Thursday on some taxpayer-funded incentives for Macy's. That means 230 jobs that Macy’s intends to generate by 2026 could qualify for the state’s Job Development Investment Grants.

Under the agreement, subsidiary Macy’s Corporate Services LLC could receive $2.3 million in these grants over 12 years if it meets job-creation and investment goals. But the company is also expected to get other state and local incentives valued at $58 million, the Commerce Department document says.

The 1.4 million-square-foot center will be at Interstate 85 (Exit 68) and Highway 152, the Rowan Economic Development Council stated in a news release.

Related: Vietnamese carmaker to build electric vehicles in North Carolina

The announcement came two days after state leaders and VinFast announced the Vietnamese automaker would build an electric vehicle manufacturing plant in Chatham County, with promises to create 7,500 jobs. It would be the state’s first car factory after a series of near-misses at recruiting one.

“When you combine our robust transportation network with our skilled workforce and great quality of life, economic development wins like these will continue to be celebrated statewide,” Cooper said Thursday with Macy’s announcement.