Chico's new center to create up to 450 jobs

FORT MYERS — Chico's FAS is opening a new national store-support center in Fort Myers at a ceremony scheduled this morning.

The new building on the company's sprawling Fort Myers campus measures 146,000 square feet. That's nearly three times the size of a football field. Gora McGahey Architects and HOK designed the building.

The support center will include HR, real estate, e-commerce, technology and store design, and will create as many as 450 jobs.The center will help the company support the nearly 1,400 stores it operates around the country and help manage future growth. The company's brands include Chico's, White House | Black Market, Soma Intimates and Boston Proper.

In November, Chico's reported quarterly earnings of $41.7 million on sales of $637 million. The company's shares are publicly traded (symbol: CHS; recent price: $16).