Sunday, August 10, 2008
Target's growth plans still in sight
Jenny Kincaid Boone
Jenny reports on the latest news on the Roanoke Valley retail industry.
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Roanoke's Target store hasn't given up on its intention to expand its grocery selection and everything else.
Last year, the discount retail chain submitted plans to the city's planning office, proposing that it add about 13,000 square feet to its store on Valley View Boulevard.
Now, it wants to add a little less space -- 9,800 square feet -- but still make way for additional grocery aisles and an in-store Starbucks shop. All changes would involve enlarging the store from the front and back.
Apparently, Target's planned renovations still are on track, though shoppers won't see noticeable changes until January, when construction is expected to begin, said Anna Goeppinger, a spokeswoman for the Minneapolis-based chain.
The expansion would increase Target's size to 122,000 square feet. But the city hasn't yet approved the Target changes, said Danielle Bishop, a development review coordinator for Roanoke.
Don't get your hopes up.
The Roanoke store won't be transformed into a Super Target, which stocks a full grocery section in addition to the chain's regular merchandise, Goeppinger said.
Even with the proposed expansion, the local store, sandwiched between PetSmart and Staples, will be smaller than a typical Super Target, which measures about 174,000 square feet.
Shoppers will see more refrigerated food aisles and dry foods, Goeppinger said. Target's parking lot also will be reconfigured, a move that will involve shifting parking spaces and adding green space.
The alterations should be complete by the end of 2009, though a specific timetable isn't set, Goeppinger said.
The Roanoke Target has been pumping up its grocery selection for the past few years, and that's been happening at its locations nationwide.
Target is making a push to bite into the food sales business, competing with discount retail giant, Wal-Mart, and other supermarket concepts, said Bob Goldin, an executive vice president at Technomic, a food industry research firm in Chicago.
And the addition of largely dry foods makes sense, he said.
"They have customers in there," Goldin said. "The items turn pretty well. They've had success with it [groceries]."
In Roanoke, a Wal-Mart Supercenter also located on Valley View Boulevard, sits just around the corner from Target.
Orange Dog
After closing for about two months, the former Orange Dog restaurant in downtown Roanoke is poised to reopen under new ownership and with a different menu selection.
Anthony Sankar, who moved to the Roanoke Valley a year ago from Austin, Texas, said he will reopen the eatery at 135 Campbell Ave. on Aug. 18. He plans to start off serving breakfast and lunch, with a menu of sandwiches, hot dogs, soups, salads and hot and cold coffee drinks, such as cappuccinos and lattes. A variety of Asian and Italian foods will be part of the menu mix.
Sankar's also applying for a license to serve alcohol, and once approved, he'll open the eatery for dinner.
He will keep its name as Orange Dog initially, but later that will change, though a new identity isn't final. Thomas Gardner, who took over Orange Dog last year and still owns its longtime location at Towers Shopping Center in Roanoke, closed Orange Dog's downtown spot in June. He said the demands of running both eateries were too much to handle.
New River Valley Mall
This month will bring a trendy women's apparel store to the New River Valley Mall in Christiansburg, while a retailer selling collegiate wear and accessories opened in July.
By mid-to-late August, Charlotte Russe is coming to the mall, according to Rhonda Willson, the mall's marketing director. It will take the former Shoe Department space. This national women's apparel chain sells trendy clothing and accessories appealing to teens and 20-somethings.
And carving out a niche in the collegiate fashion world, Alumni Hall opened in the former location of One Martial Arts on July 31. Alumni Hall sells clothing with university logos.
News from the Storefront blog at blogs.roanoke.com/storefront/:
McAlister's Deli is coming to Towers Shopping Center.
The $1 double cheeseburger may be too good to be true.
McDonald's, located near the Roanoke Civic Center, is closed for rebuilding. It will reopen in mid-November.
