Shoppers World to open 1st area store

Firm to occupy part of vacated Kmart

7/3/2012

Shoppers World plans to open its first store in the Toledo area, moving into part of the space vacated by Kmart on East Manhattan Boulevard.

The store, which caters to lower-income and middle-income shoppers, will occupy about 50,000 square feet of the 100,000-square-foot space that housed Kmart from 1967 until this year. Shoppers World is to open in August or September, said Ralph Lucarelli, a spokesman for the company. It is unclear what will occupy the other half of the space, he said.

A message left with the property's landlord was not returned Monday.

Mr. Lucarelli said Shoppers World will create up to 80 jobs, and a third of those should be full-time positions. The hiring process is to begin in the next two to three weeks, and the store most likely will hold a job fair, Mr. Lucarelli said. An announcement about where to apply will be made in the coming weeks, he said.

Sears Holding Corp. announced in December that it would close between 100 and 120 "marginally performing" Sears and Kmart locations. The East Manhattan Boulevard store and one on Reynolds Road in southwest Toledo were among the Kmarts shuttered.

Shoppers World will carry a full clothing line for men and women, accessories, shoes, small electronics, and home goods. Mr. Lucarelli said it will be similar to Target or Walmart, and the only difference is that the store won't carry food or big-ticket electronics.

"We are very value driven," he said.

Shoppers World evolved from a store that opened in Baltimore in the 1950s. The first store to bear the Shoppers World name opened in New Jersey in 1972, and the chain now has stores in eight states.

The Toledo store will be the 25th for the company. The plan is to continue spreading south and west, Mr. Lucarelli said.

Contact Kris Turner at: kturner@theblade.com or 419-724-6103.