Shutterfly Inc., an online photo publishing service, announced Thursday that it will expand its manufacturing operations with a new facility in Fort Mill. The California-based company says it hopes to create 400 new jobs during the next three years.
The company plans to move across the border from Charlotte into a vacant 300,000 square feet warehouse located off Highway 160. The new facility is scheduled to open by next summer. Shutterfly says its existing Charlotte manufacturing space will be fully operational until that time.
Shutterfly currently employs about 250 people in Charlotte, many of whom will likely move to the new facility. Under a resolution passed by the York County Council, the company would need to create 416 new, full-time jobs and spend $60.1 million on its new facility in order to get special tax breaks from York County.
The state of South Carolina is offering $700,000 for infrastructure improvements on the site, including construction of a new road.
Shutterfly bills itself as an “Internet-based social expression and personal publishing service,” but it primarily focuses on allowing its users to upload photos and create photo books, cards, and stationery. The new Fort Mill facility will house production and customer service employees for Shutterfly’s four Internet brands.
