Gildan Activewear will locate a new distribution center on Clements Ferry Road in Charleston, SC, with operations expected to begin in the next few weeks. Gildan expects to hire about 250 people this year for the new facility.

Gildan has purchased the former Mikasa building, which is located in the city of Charleston and in Berkeley County.

“This state-of-the-art facility will be utilized to support the company’s strategic initiative to become a major full-line supplier of basic family apparel for national mass-market retailers,” Glenn Chamandy, Gildan president and CEO, said in a statement that the S.C. Department of Commerce released today.

Chamandy said the 850,000-square-foot building could be expanded to accommodate long-term growth. The company is investing about $25 million, including the purchase and upfit.

Gildan has a wholesale distribution facility nearby in North Carolina. The new center will focus on retail distribution.