“What we did a few months ago is we relocated our data center to Georgia to get out of Hurricane alley,” said Chico’s President and CEO David Dyer.  “There was a big decision as to whether we would locate the technical people with it or keep growing in Fort Myers. Thankfully, and with a little help from our friends in the state and certainly the city of Fort Myers and the County, we’re very happy to continue to grow here in Fort Myers.”

Dyer says the new jobs to be housed in a new 141,000-sq.-ft. facility will include high paying IT, human resource and e-commerce positions that will support Chico’s retail stores throughout the country.

The company began as a boutique on Sanibel Island 28 years ago, and now includes the brands Black House/White Market, Soma Intimates, and Boston Proper.  The company employs 21,000 people nationwide, including 1,250 employees in Lee County alone and is growing at a rate of about 100 stores per year.

“We’re thrilled to have a global brand like Chico’s and other brands that go with this corporation headquartered in the state of Florida and certainly in Lee County,” said Florida Secretary of Commerce Gray Swoope.  “To be able to hold onto a company that others would love to have in their communities and to be able to start here and grow here in this community is a very positive statement to Southwest Florida.”