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Lowe's Cos. Inc. is scouting the Charlotte region for a new headquarters site as it battles to attract employees and compete with rival The Home Depot Inc., say people familiar with the company's plans.
The search is said to be focusing on Mooresville, although some sources note inquiries concerning at least one Charlotte site.
Officials at the North Wilkesboro-based homeimprovement retailer say they have "no current plans" for a corporate relocation. But they also acknowledge the company is facing problems in recruiting workers in mostly rural Wilkes County, 85 miles northwest of Charlotte.
That could lead Lowe's to consider operations outside Wilkes County, they say.
In addition, the Internet and Lowe's expanding market base have prompted the company to adopt a "decentralization policy," reducing the need for maintaining a traditional headquarters, says Brian Peace, a Lowe's spokesman.
"We do not see a time when we will not have a major presence in Wilkes County," Peace says. "But we may need to take steps to meet our future growth needs. Clearly we will continue to evaluate sites in the region to meet our current and future needs, as necessary."
Real estate and government sources say Lowe's is looking for roughly 50 acres for a headquarters project that would likely be a build-to-suit that the company would own, not lease.
Several real estate insiders point to the newly expanded Talbert Pointe Business Park in Mooresville, off Interstate 77 and N.C. Highway 150, as a prime prospect for the project.
Mooresville real estate developer Cecile Ebert, who owns the 260-acre Talbert development with some family members, says she isn't aware of any specific interest by Lowe's....