Store Expansion News: October update
Retailers and restaurants alike made headlines in October with store expansions and new formats.
Here are the major stories as reported by Chain Store Age, starting with the most recent.
- Shipley Donuts on track for 'record-setting' store expansion in 2025 The Houston-based donut chain, which was acquired by a private equity firm earlier this year, has opened 25 new shops so far this year, including eight in the third quarter alone. Shipley Donuts estimates that by year's end, it could exceed the number of openings over 2024 by more than 60%.
- Tractor Supply upping store growth in 2026 The nation’s largest rural lifestyle retailer opened 29 stores in its most recent quarter, and is on track to open a total of 90 locations for the full year. Tractor Supply is ramping up its growth next year as well, with plans to open 100 new stores.
- Smoothie King adds 32 new store commitments in Q3 The smoothie chain is touting its continued store growth, adding 32 new store commitments to its pipeline in the third quarter of this year, including multi-unit deals in Brooklyn, N.Y., where a three-unit plan will introduce Smoothie King's first-ever traditional Manhattan store. Deals were also signed to open additional stores in Dayton, Ohio and Fort Worth, Texas.
- Boot brand Blundstone debuts U.S. flagship — with two more stores planned The Australian boot brand has opened its first-ever U.S. location, a flagship in Los Angeles. Located on Sunset Boulevard in the city's Silver Lake neighborhood, the new store marks a “significant milestone” for the brand as part of its strategic U.S retail expansion. Additional outposts planned for Portland, Ore. and Boulder, Colo., are set to open later this year into early 2026.
- Layne's Chicken Fingers adds 55-plus new restaurants to pipeline The chicken finger franchise signed five franchise agreements in the third quarter, including a 44-unit deal and an eight-unit deal to expand in western Texas, a three-unit deal that marks the brand’s entry to Oregon, and a 13-unit addition to its Wisconsin franchisees' already multi-unit development agreement. Layne’s has opened 14 new restaurants so far this year.
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- Playa Bowls eyes 160-plus Canadian locations through partnership The fast-casual superfruit bowl shop has announced a master franchise agreement with Eat Up Canada Inc. to expand the brand across Canada. Known for partnering with high-growth U.S. restaurant concepts, Eat Up Canada Inc. marks Playa Bowls' first international development deal and includes plans to open more than 160 shops nationwide.
- Wayfair luxury brand Perigold goes big in Florida store debut The online home furnishing giant’s Perigold banner has opened its second store, a nearly 30,000-sq.-ft., two-level location at City Place in West Palm Beach, Fla. The opening follows the luxury brand’s brick-and-mortar debut earlier this year, in Houston. It also comes as Wayfair is expanding its namesake brand with a large-format concept.
- First Look: Kim Kardashian's Skims opens its largest store to date The $4 billion-plus shapewear brand co-founded by reality TV superstar and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian has opened its 8,000-sq.-ft. space at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn. The opening marks the brand’s location to date and first brick-and-mortar location in Minnesota.
- Ross Stores opens 40 new locations, plans to continue expansion Ross Stores Inc. opened 36 Ross Dress for Less ("Ross") and four DD’s Discounts stores across 17 different states in September and October. The new locations complete Ross Stores’ growth plans for fiscal 2025, for a total of 90 new locations. The retailer said that it “remains confident” in its expansion plans and sees a pathway to grow to at least 2,900 Ross Dress for Less and 700 DD’s Discounts locations over time.
- Walmart opens mobile-friendly 'Auto Care Centers of the Future' — here's where The discount giant has opened the first of 10 planned "Auto Care Centers of the Future" locations at a supercenter store in Fayetteville, Ark. Walmart aims to modernize its auto services with the new model, which features a contactless service model that lets customers schedule, check in and track their car's progress through the company's app.
- Uniqlo plots 2026 expansion — here's where The global apparel retailer, part of Japan’s Fast Retailing Co., will open a host of new stores next year, highlighted by flagship openings in Chicago and San Francisco, and four additional locations in New York City. In total, Uniqlo will open 11 new stores next spring/summer across the country, including in other key markets such as Boston, Seattle, Maryland and Washington D.C.
- Gymshark to open first U.S. location — with another on the way The U.K.-based athleticwear brand opened its first permanent U.S. location on Oct. 11, at the Roosevelt Field shopping center in Garden City, N.Y. It comes ahead of Gymshark’s flagship opening on Bond Street in the NoHo area of Manhattan later this year.
