Electrolux to spend $85 million to expand in Charlotte, adding 810 jobs

CHARLOTTE – Electrolux, the Swedish appliance company, will spend $85 million to expand its North American headquarters in the University area, the company revealed Friday after the N.C. Economic Investment Committee awarded it a job development investment grant.

The expansion is set to add 810 jobs by the end of 2017, according to an Electrolux news release.

In the expansion, Electrolux will add a second building adjacent to its existing headquarters, at 10200 David Taylor Drive, the release said. The new building will be six stories and total 375,000 square feet, with LEED certification, solar panels, a roof garden and a courtyard.

Job development investment grants are discretionary incentives that provide sustained annual grants to new and expanding businesses based on a percentage of withholding taxes paid by new employees, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce website. This means companies can’t get the full grant amount unless it creates the promised jobs. The amount of the Electrolux grant isn’t clear, as the company couldn’t be reached Friday afternoon.

“Electrolux is committed to bringing innovative solutions to consumers and to advanced manufacturing,” Jack Truong, president and CEO of Electrolux Major Appliances North America, said in the release. “As a leader in appliance R&D, innovation and beautiful design, we’re excited about what this new expansion means for the future of our business and that our continued investment in Charlotte will help bring jobs and drive economic growth.”

The new jobs are in the areas of research and development, marketing, design, engineering, supply chain, finance, information technology, and executive management, the release said. Electrolux employs nearly 1,500 people in N.C. and in Charlotte, the company now has 760 employees and 145 contractors.