Store Expansion News: November update
Retailers and restaurants alike made headlines in November with store expansions and new formats.
Here are the major stories as reported by Chain Store Age, starting with the most recent.
- Pop Mart makes Canadian debut with Vancouver store The Asian toy and collectibles retailer has made its debut in the country with a store at Richmond Centre in Vancouver. The new store offers the full Pop Mart experience, featuring interactive displays, blind box collectible drops, and a wide selection of fan-favorite characters from the brand’s IP. Pop Mart says that its second and third Canadian locations will open in Toronto and Vancouver in early 2026.
- First Look: Cole Haan expands its Los Angeles footprint Just in time for the holidays, the footwear and accessories brand opened a new full price retail location in California’s Glendale Galleria — the third-largest mall in Los Angeles county. The new location, which opened Nov. 20, is the retailer’s second store in the county of Los Angeles, and fifth in California.
- Belk to open new store concept — here are the locations The 136-year-old regional department store retailer will unveil a new store concept in December in two locations: The Grove at Wesley Chapel in Wesley Chapel, Fla., and The Centre at Preston Ridge in Frisco, Texas. The new Belk Market stores will offer a curated assortment of top national and private label brands in a smaller footprint of 25,000 to 30,000 sq. ft. The company is working on additional locations to open in 2026.
- First Look: Lululemon debuts new SoHo flagship Lululemon has debuted its newest retail location: a 17,000-sq.-ft., two-floor flagship in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood. The store offers Lululemon’s full men’s and women’s assortments, accessories and footwear, and services like personal shopping appointments and product personalization.
- Insomnia Cookies eyes 70-plus new locations for 2026 The late-night bakery chain recently opened its 350th store worldwide, just over a year after opening its 300th location. The new Williamsburg location in Brooklyn, New York City marks the brand’s third location in the borough and 22nd store in New York state. Looking ahead, the chain is projected to open more than 75 new locations in 2026.
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- Academy to end fiscal 2025 with 20-plus new stores The Texas-based sporting goods retailer has opened five new locations to wrap up the year, expanding its presence in Arkansas, Indiana and Texas. With the addition of these stores, Academy will have opened 24 total new locations by the end of fiscal 2025. The retailer says the new locations have created more than 1,400 total jobs.
- Nordstrom Rack adds more locations to 2026, 2027 store lineup The department store retailer has added three more Nordstrom Rack locations (Orlando, Fla.; Rockville, Md.; Murphy, Texas) to its lineup of store openings in 2026 and 2027. The company plans to have nearly 300 Rack stores by the end of 2025, with a total of 400 stores planned by 2028.
- Harris Teeter to expand footprint in three states The grocer, a division of The Kroger Co., plans to open five stores across North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida, which include expansion into new markets for the company. Harris Teeter is also planning to introduce fuel centers and pharmacies at each location.
- New openings double luxury brand Boll & Branch’s footprint — with more to come The luxury bedding and home textiles brand opened the doors to its 14th and 15th locations in Charlotte, N.C., and Bethesda, Md., respectively. With these additions, Boll & Branch will have nearly doubled its retail portfolio in one year's time. Boll & Branch says it will continue this momentum in 2026 when it plants even more new roots along the East Coast, throughout the South and into the Midwest.
- Ulta to open first Middle East store with more on the way Opened on Nov. 7 through a partnership with international retail franchise operator Alshaya Group, the new Ulta store is located at The Avenues shopping center in Kuwait. Following the opening, Ulta and Alshaya Group will continue their regional expansion with new stores in the United Arab Emirates at the Mall of the Emirates in January 2026 and Dubai Mall in March 2026.
- Wayfair to test smaller-store prototype The online home furnishings giant will open a smaller-format prototype for its namesake brand in late 2026. Located in Columbus, Ohio, the location will be approximately 70,000 sq. ft. That’s about half the size of the large-format namesake store that Wayfair unveiled in Wilmette, Ill., with upcoming locations planned for Atlanta; Yonkers, N.Y.; and Denver.
- Chick-fil-A opens new restaurant concept The popular quick-serve restaurant chain has debuted a new restaurant concept, called Daybright, featuring an array of specialty coffee drinks and some food items. Located in the Atlanta suburb of Hiram, Ga., the concept was created by Chick-fil-A innovation subsidiary, Red Wagon Ventures.
