Belk Banking on Discount Concept

Belk (Charlotte, N.C.) is expanding its newest store concept, the Belk Outlet, by opening an additional 10 locations this month. That will bring the total number of such outlets to 16.

The first Belk Outlet opened in January in Greeneville, Tenn., and five more were added by early April. The outlets feature discounted items that come directly from larger Belk stores, meaning customers have access to a wide range of items, including high-end and designer brands that these locations may not have carried in the past.

The latest 10 Belk Outlet locations are:

907 E. 16th Ave, Cordele, Ga.
2111 Collier Pkwy., Land O Lakes, Fla.
270 Cypress Edge Dr., Palm Coast, Fla.
101 City Smitty Dr., Saint Marys, Ga.
2990 Meadow Creek Dr., Bossier City, La.
400 N. Center St., Westminster, Md.
2040 N. Perkins Rd., Stillwater, Okla.
3606 Town Center St., Sherman, Texas
1354 Armory Dr., Franklin, Va.
100 Murdoch Ave., Parkersburg, W.Va.

In its report on the new concept, Placer.ai. said the outlet stores are being located in renovated Belk locales, which “will allow the retailer to keep its fleet lean. And by completing these conversions in a relatively short amount of time, the brand can get back to serving consumers quickly after each store’s transition.”

The report also said Belk is following the lead of several other department store chains – including Nordstrom (Nordstrom Rack) and Macy’s (Market by Macy’s/Macy’s Backstage) in opening smaller-footprint, discount-oriented locales.

Privately owned Belk Inc. opened its first store in 1888 and currently operates about 300 department stores in 16 Southeastern states.