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GREEN BAY, Wis. — Shopko Stores Operating Co. will open 20 Shopko Hometown stores in sites formerly occupied by Alco Stores Inc. outlets. Grand reopenings are slated for late March.
Shopko Stores Operating Co. will open 20 Shopko Hometown stores in sites formerly occupied by Alco Stores Inc. outlets. Grand reopenings are slated for late March.
Shopko acquired the rights to the locations from Alco, which had declared bankruptcy last October and was subsequently liquidated, with all 198 of its stores shuttered as a result. The sites that will be converted to Shopko’s Hometown banner include five stores in North Dakota, five in Texas, three in Kansas, two in Minnesota and one each in Colorado, Indiana, Montana, South Dakota and Utah.
"We’re eager to get the Alco store conversion process under way and start to bring Shopko Hometown to more communities,” says Peter McMahon, Shopko’s chief executive officer. "We’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our customers in our current Hometown communities, who tell us they appreciate the improved shopping experience and access to a broader, differentiated selection of merchandise, including products and brands previously not available in their community."
The conversion to the Shopko Hometown format will involve a mixture of new interior and exterior signage, new carpet and paint treatments, and updated and supplementary fixturing and lighting. The store layout and design will be upgraded and improved, while the merchandise mix will be expanded.
According to Shopko management, once the 20 former Alco sites are reopened, the chain plans to accelerate the rollout of new Shopko Hometown locations in the second half of this year and into 2016. No figures were given, and no further changes are currently planned for the 178 Hometown stores that are now in operation.
Last October Shopko expanded the grocery department in the Hometown stores, adding 850 new items spanning the categories of dairy, snacks, cookies, baking products, canned goods, frozen food and beverages, as well as bread, milk, eggs and Hispanic food. The stores were also approved for acceptance of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps low-income families purchase food.
The Hometown format was created in 2010 to provide a smaller-footprint format to complement the 133 full-size Shopko discount stores. Shopko Hometown combines a pharmacy with health and beauty aids; household goods that include apparel, toys, electronics, lawn and garden, and seasonal; and dry grocery departments. Later, more than 175 Pamida outlets, primarily in small rural communities, were converted to the Shopko Hometown banner and format, with stores from 15,000 to 35,000 square feet.
