Store Expansion News: September update

Retailers and restaurants alike made headlines in September with store expansions and new formats. 

Here are the major stories as reported by CSA, starting with the most recent.

• Ann Taylor, Loft to return to Canada The two women’s apparel retailers are making their return to Canada through an agreement with Centric Brands LLC — with distribution through Hudson’s Bay. This marks the first time Ann Taylor and Loft have been in the Canadian market since 2020 when the last of their stores went dark.
• Insomnia Cookies hits 300 stores The late-night bakery concept has reached 300 stores worldwide with the opening of its newest outpost in Seattle. The new store, located in Seattle’s University District, is the brand’s first location in the city.
• Rally House to expand in Ann Arbor The sports apparel retailer is taking over three former M Den stores in Ann Arbor, Mich., bringing its store count in the city to four and 23 in the state. The retailer won an auction to acquire the assets of the bankrupt University of Michigan athletic retailer.
• Ollie’s opens new stores in Texas The retailer of closeout merchandise and excess inventory has opened 10 stores in Texas. The new locations were all former 99 Cents Only Stores, which Ollie’s purchased in May.
• Whole Foods opens smaller format store in NYC Located in the Lenox Hill neighborhood of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, the 9,101-sq.-ft. Whole Foods Market Daily Shop is “designed to bring the freshest, high-quality ingredients to customers with a convenience that fits their fast-paced urban lifestyles,” according to the grocer.
• GU opens first U.S. store The lower-priced, more trend-driven sister brand of Japanese apparel giant Uniqlo has opened a flagship in New York City as its first store outside of Asia. The two-level store features 10,225 sq. ft. of apparel.