By Mark Wineka
Kannapolis Citizen
Shoe Show Inc. President Robert Tucker and his wife, Carolyn, say the company will give a monetary amount equal to city and county tax incentives to several local charities.
The Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners approved tax rebates Monday night of $369,495 to Kannapolis-based Shoe Show Inc. over the next three years.
A week earlier, the city of Kannapolis approved a similar tax rebate of $291,490 as incentive for Shoe Show to expand its distribution center on Trinity Church Road.
County commissioners read a letter from the Tuckers after the board approved its part of the incentives package Monday night.
“If the incentive passed,” the Tuckers’ letter stated, “an amount equal to the incentives will be given to, but not limited to the following local charities: Salvation Army of Cabarrus County, Cooperative Christian Ministry, Hospice and Palliative Care of Cabarrus County and CVAN-Domestic Violence Program.
“This is in addition to the contribution that Shoe Show Inc. already gives to these organizations.
“The incentive which was already granted by the city of Kannapolis will also be given to these charities.”
The total city-county tax incentives earmarked for Shoe Show are $661,000.
Tucker founded the company in Kannapolis in 1960. It encompasses the Shoe Show, Shoe Dept. and Burlington Shoes brand names and has more than 1,000 stores in 35 states.City and county officials offered the incentives as part of Shoe Show’s plans for adding at least 250,000 square feet to its distribution center.The investment will be at least $23 million and could create 50 new jobs. The company already employs 550 people in Cabarrus County.
Both the city and county incentives represent an 85 percent tax break on the value of the expansion over three years. The company would start paying a full tax bill on the expansion in the fourth year.
Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263, or mwineka@ salisburypost.com.