FILE PHOTO: Pandora products are seen at their store at the Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley, New York, U.S., February 15, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

COPENHAGEN (Reuters) -Jewellery maker Pandora said on Wednesday it will build a new distribution centre, relocating its current facility to Maryland from Columbia in the United States, to support its expansion into its largest and fastest growing market.

"By expanding our operational capabilities, we are positioning Pandora to capture the strong growth opportunities we continue to see across North America," Luciano Rodembusch, President of Pandora North America said in a statement.

Construction will begin this month, with the opening planned for the first half of next year, Pandora said.

Pandora has 500 stores in the United States where it employs 8,000 people, nearly 22% of its global workforce.

(Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by Terje Solsvik and Anna Ringstrom)