Stores Update: Debuts and a Conversion

Here’s a look at some recent noteworthy store openings and one brand conversion:

* Ross Stores Inc. (Dublin, Calif.) opened 36 Ross Dress for Less and four dd’s DISCOUNTS® stores across 17 states in September and October, completing its expansion plans for fiscal 2025. “At Ross Dress for Less, we were excited to add locations in the Midwest as well as the Northeast, with new stores in Michigan, New Jersey, and New York, while also increasing our presence in the Sunbelt states,” said Richard Lietz, EVP, Property Development. “At dd’s, we enhanced our footprint in our core markets of California and Texas. Looking ahead, we remain confident in our expansion plans and see plenty of opportunity to grow to at least 2900 Ross Dress for Less and 700 dd’s DISCOUNTS locations over time.” Those two chains currently operate 2273 locations in 44 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico.

* Family-owned Rural King (Mattoon, Ill.) will take the wraps off its first store in South Carolina, in Spartanburg, on Oct. 17. This marks the 16th state for the rural-lifestyle retailer, which has a total of 140-plus stores.

* TPS Group Holdings (Acton, Mass.) has reopened The Paper Store in Clifton, N.J., under its emerging Uncharted banner. The latter chain, which currently consists of six other locales in the Chicago and New York markets, offer fashion, accessories, jewelry, beauty and more. “The Paper Store has been a beloved destination here for years, and we’re introducing Uncharted to evolve the retail experience for the community, providing them with creative ways to customize their shopping experience and explore their favorite brands or discover new ones,” said Tom Anderson, CEO of TPS Group Holdings, the parent company of both The Paper Store (100-plus locales) and Uncharted.