Regional discount retailer Shopko will experience its most dramatic growth in many years later this month when its Hometown stores division takes over locations from the now defunct Alco Stores chain.
The Shopko Hometown retail format, developed over the past five years to augment Shopko’s larger store model and focus on serving the needs of smaller rural communities, sells national and high-value private label brands of apparel, home furnishings, toys, consumer electronics, seasonal items, grocery department and lawn and garden products in a store format that ranges from 15,000 to 35,000 square feet.
“We’re eager to get the Alco store conversion process underway and start to bring Shopko Hometown to more communities,” said Shopko CEO Peter McMahon. “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 Shopko Hometown will include a mix of new interior and exterior signage, carpet, paint, updated and supplement fixtures and lighting, improved store design and layout, as well as an expanded merchandise mix.
These improvements, coupled with Shopko Hometown’s excellent customer service, as well as a continued commitment to support local communities, ensures that Shopko Hometown will be well received by these communities, the company said.
Once the addition of these 20 stores is complete, the company plans to accelerate the addition of new Shopko Hometown stores in the second half of 2015 and into 2016.
There will be no change to Shopko’s current 178 Hometown stores.
Shopko operates 320 stores in 21 states throughout the Midwest, Mountain, North Central and Pacific Northwest regions.