Store Expansion News: August update
Retailers and restaurants alike made headlines in August with store expansions and new formats.
Here are the major stories as reported by Chain Store Age, starting with the most recent.
- Sukoshi opens largest Asian beauty store in NYC; upcoming locations include… The Korean beauty retailer will open a store this September on New York City's Upper East Side, marking the largest Asian beauty store in the city. With New York marking its 15th U.S. location, Sukoshi is on track to exceed 20 stores by year's end.
- Wendy's opens 118 new locations worldwide in first half of 2025 The Ohio-based burger chain is making progress towards its goal of 1,000 new restaurants by 2028. In the first half of 2025, Wendy’s opened 118 restaurants globally. The chain says it remains on track to increase global units by 2% to 3% in 2025 while continuously strengthening its long-term development pipeline.
- White Castle to open first Texas restaurant next year A pioneering quick-serve chain is planning to open its first location in the Lone Star State. White Castle will debut in Texas in the summer of 2026 with a location at the Grandscape dining and entertainment complex in The Colony, a northern suburb of Dallas.
- Ace Hardware on track to open 175 new stores by end of 2025 Ace Hardware is marching forward with store expansion. The Illinois-based hardware retail has opened 100 new stores so far this year, and is on pace to open more than 175 new locations by the end of 2025. Over the past five years, Ace has opened more than 930 new stores as it continues to expand its presence nationwide.
- Floor & Décor expansion continues with new August locations — here’s where Specializing in hard-surface flooring for homeowners and professionals, the specialty retailer recently opened its first store in the Myrtle Beach area, in Murrells Inlet, S.C., along with a location in Chandler, Ariz. The August openings come on the heels of new Floor & Decor stores in Stuart, Fla., and Chula Vista, Calif., which opened in June and July respectively. The company is on track to open 20 stores this year.
Advertisement - article continues below
Advertisement
- Bojangles plans NYC return with 20 locations After roughly four decades, Bojangles is slated to make its return to the Big Apple. The quick-serve chain, known for Southern-style fried chicken and biscuits, has announced the signing of a 20-unit agreement in New York City with Habib Hashimi and Hashimi Holding Corporation. The stores will open over the next decade.
- Wawa to open its first-ever travel center The convenience store chain opened its first-ever travel center on Aug. 28 in Hope Mills, N.C. With more than 8,000 sq. ft. of space, the location will offer Wawa’s signature fresh food and beverage assortment, interior and exterior seating areas, along with fuel for passenger vehicles and a high-speed diesel fuel court for professional tractor trailer drivers.
- Scheels to open 300,000-plus sq. ft. store in Oklahoma City The sporting goods retailer, famous for its mega-sized stores filled with a variety of attractions, will open in Oklahoma City in the spring of 2028. It will be Scheels' second location in Oklahoma, joining Tulsa, where the company opened last year.
- Pop Mart to open at Mall of America amid Labubu craze Mall of America will be the home of Minnesota’s first brick-and-mortar Pop Mart location, which is set to open this fall. Known for its artistic, character-driven collectibles, including the red-hot Labubu line of plush accessories, Pop Mart operates approximately 350 locations worldwide.
- First Look: Crocs goes experiential with new ‘Icon’ store concept Crocs has unveiled a new store concept that features immersive storytelling and its largest personalization experience to date. Located in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, the 4,000-sq.-ft. outpost spans an entire city block. It offers the complete core Crocs shoe line and accessories such as bags, backpacks and keychains, along with a dedicated assortment of elevated Crocs EXP products.
- 7-Eleven to open 1,300 stores in North America Seven & i Holdings Co. Ltd. has launched what it calls the “transformation of 7-Eleven,” and it includes investments in stores and expansion. The new initiative includes the opening of 1,300, larger-format 7-Eleven convenience stores in North America (200 stores annually) and 1,000 stores in Japan through the year ending February 2031.
- Anthropologie to open standalone stores for its Maeve brand Anthropologie Group is launching a retail concept dedicated to one of its most popular in-house labels. Maeve will open standalone retail stores, with the first location opening in Raleigh, N.C., in October. Three more stores will open during the next year, reported WWD.
