CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Tanger Outlets will open a shopping center in Charlotte with 90 stores, the company says.

The project, which is expected to open in 2014, will be approximately an $80 million investment, CEO Steven Tanger said.

The 350,000-square-foot shopping center will be much smaller than the Charlotte area's other major outlet center, Concord Mills, which has 1.3 million square feet.

Tanger said his company is excited to "offer a convenient, pure outlet shopping experience" in Charlotte, which will help it compete with other established outlet retailers.

Greensboro-based Tanger operates or has an ownership interest in 39 outlet centers in 25 states and Canada.

The new development is expected to generate about 300 construction jobs and 900 full- and part-time retail jobs when it opens.

The company would not say which retailers it is lining up but said it would be similar to its existing centers. Tanger's Mebane center includes outlets from Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers, Lane Bryant, Gap and Levi's.

The property Tanger is purchasing is owned by Steele Creek Limited Partnership, which was created by Sarah Belk Gambrell, a member of the Belk family and a major shareholder of privately held department store company Belk Inc., of Charlotte.

Gambrell plans to develop the area surrounding the new outlets as well.

"This is the caliber of development we have long envisioned for such a strategic location in our community," Gambrell said in a statement.