Content about Kansas

Von Maur got its start like many of its department store peers: An immigrant with an American dream opened a downtown store, customers came, they shopped, the brand took hold and took off.

In the case of the midwestern upscale department store banner Von Maur, the dreamer was German immigrant J.H.C. Petersen, who opened a downtown storefront in Davenport, Iowa, in 1872. He and his sons grew the business and sold it nearly a half-century later to a partnership that included two Austrian brothers — C.J. and Cable von Maur, whose family gained full ownership by 1937.

Abilene, Kansas -- Alco Stores Inc. said Wednesday it is moving its corporate headquarters from Abilene, Kan., to a suburb of Dallas, citing the need to be “in a more metropolitan area.”

The new Coppell, Texas offices will give the company easy access to many of its stores, other major retailers and transportation for its workers and business partners, CEO Rich Wilson said in a Wednesday statement.

The move is slated to occur in June.

Merriam, Kansas -- Shopping center owner and developer DDR Corp., based in Beachwood, Ohio, said Tuesday it will sell 22 acres of land to Ikea Property for the construction of Ikea’s first store in Kansas, located in the Kansas City bedroom community of Merriam, Kan.
 
Ikea confirmed Tuesday that the City Council of Merriam has unanimously approved plans for this project, following last month's approval from the city's Planning Commission.
 

Conshohocken, Pa. -- Ikea announced it is submitting plans to the city of Merriam, Kansas, for a Kansas City-area store that would increase the Swedish retailer’s presence in the Midwestern United States.  

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Department Stores announced the grand opening of 12 stores, creating approximately 1,500 jobs nationwide. The company now operates 1,146 stores in 49 states.

The company is celebrating the grand opening of 12 stores in 10 states, including Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Washington. Of the 12 new locations, 11 are small format stores with approximately 64,000 sq. ft. or less of retail space.

Seattle -- REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.) said Tuesday it will make its state debut in Kansas in fall 2013, with a new store in Overland Park, Kan., a suburb of Kansas City.

The 23,500-sq.-ft. REI Overland Park will be located at Prairiefire at Lionsgate. Approximately 50-60 new hires are planned.
 

Leawood, Kan. -- Columbus, Ohio-based Glimcher Realty Trust said Wednesday it has completed the acquisition of One Nineteen, an outdoor retail center located in Leawood, Kan.

One Nineteen is adjacent to Glimcher’s Town Center Plaza and will add approximately 165,000 sq. ft. of GLA to the combined property.  Tenant sales at One Nineteen average more than $900 per sq. ft., and the center is currently 93% leased featuring Kansas City’s first and only Crate & Barrel and lululemon athletica, as well as an Apple store.

New Canaan Conn. -- Gridiron Capital, LLC, in partnership with the founder and existing  management team of Quality Sollutions Inc. announced the acquisition of QSI.

Kansas City, Kan. – OTB Destination announced that the area’s first White House | Black Market Outlet boutique will open at Legends Outlets Kansas City in May 2012.

The women’s retailer will offer a collection designed specifically for the outlet boutique, while offering a select assortment of product from their full-price boutiques as well. The White House Black Market Outlet boutique will occupy an overall square footage of 2,955 next to Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th.

Kansas City, Mo. -- Chain Store Age real estate columnist Jeff Green, featured regularly on Chainstoreage.com’s community page with his “Retail Rap with Jeff Green” commentary, was interviewed by the Kansas City Star about trends in retail real estate. 

Click here to read the story.
 

Everett, Wash. -- Zumiez Inc. will move its e-commerce fulfillment operations from its headquarters in Everett, Wash., to Edwardsville, Kansas, in May to accommodate their growing online business and to increase the speed of product deliveries to online customers.

Topeka, Kansas — Payless ShoeSource, a division of Collective Brands, announced that it has signed two new franchise agreements with partners Emart, a business unit of Shinsegae Group, Seoul, for stores in Korea, and Central Marketing Group, a business unit of Central Group, Bangkok, for stores in Thailand and Vietnam, bringing the total countries, which will have franchised Payless stores to 20 countries.

Payless and its partners said that in 2012 they expect six store openings in Korea, as well as five stores each to open in Thailand and Vietnam.