BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Fruit of the Loom, a Bowling Green-based clothing company, is expanding its existing distribution center in Warren County and creating 50 full-time job opportunities in the process, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Thursday.

“Fruit of the Loom has long been an important employer in our state, and I am glad to see the company grow its footprint in Bowling Green with 50 full-time jobs for residents in South Central Kentucky,” Gov. Beshear said. “Our state’s distribution and logistics sector continues to grow, thanks in large part to Kentucky’s ideal geographic location and talented workforce."

Expected to begin in August, Fruit of the Loom will expand its 540,000-square-foot Bowling Green distribution center by approximately 203,000 square feet to help the company meet growing customer demand. Officials said the expansion should be complete in just one year.

In addition to the sizable distribution facility, the company's corporate headquarters is also located in Bowling Green, as is a local retail outlet store for its brands.

Fruit of the Loom – whose history in Bowling Green dates back to 1940 – now employs around 930 people in the city.

“This new investment at our local facility will allow us to continue to support our customer needs and product demands for our iconic brands that consumers know and love,” said Melissa Burgess Taylor, chair and CEO of Fruit of the Loom. “With our increased distribution capacity, we are well-positioned for sustainable, long-term growth.”

Kentucky’s logistics and distribution sector employs nearly 80,000 people at 590 facilities statewide. Due to the exploding volume of online ordering throughout the pandemic, warehouses and shippers saw surging demand and expansion opportunities.

In just the past 12 months, distribution and logistics companies committed to creating nearly 2,000 full-time, Kentucky-resident jobs over the coming years, bringing nearly $285 million in private-sector investment to the commonwealth.