99 Cents Only Stores (323-980-8145) is planning to open 15 stores throughout Houston, TX this year, with the first store scheduled to open during June.

Pier 1 Imports, Inc. (817-878-8000) is planning to open a store at Woodbury Centre in Woodbury, NY during the Spring.

Gap, Inc. (949-719-0829) is planning to open 30 to 40 locations, or 40 to 60 concepts, this year. Overall, the company expects net square footage to decline by about 2% for the year.

Jos. A. Bank (410-239-2700) is planning to open up to 500 stores during the next three to four years.

WinCo Foods, Inc. (208-377-0110) is planning to open a 100,000 sq.ft. store in Portland, OR at a former HomeBase location on northeast 122nd Avenue. The company also is planning to open a 93,000 sq.ft. store at the former House2Home building on Old Alturas Road in Redding, CA. Opening is slated for 2004.

Wal*Mart Stores, Inc. (650-837-5000) is planning to open its largest store on the West Coast at the intersection of Bruceville and Elk Grove Boulevard in Elk Grove, CA. The location would have a grocery store, as well as other side businesses in addition to the retail sections. If the store is constructed, the current Wal*Mart would be converted to a warehouse center for the chain. The company also is opening a store at the intersection of Nordahl Road and State Route 78, as well as a store at the intersection of Rancho Santa Fe Road and Melrose Drive in San Marcos, CA. The company also is planning to open an 82,000 sq.ft. store at a site formerly occupied by Ames at The Waterworks Mall in Pittsburgh, PA. The company also plans to open its first two Sam’s Club warehouse-style stores in Pickering and Vaughan, Ontario, Canada this year. The Vaughan store is located at the intersection of Highway 7 and Edgely Boulevard, while the Pickering outlet will be located at the intersection of Brock Road and Pickering Parkway. Each store will occupy a space of 129,000 sq.ft. and will include tire and lube express centers and vision-care outlets. The company currently operates 525 Sam’s Club stores, in addition to outlets in Brazil, China, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Wal*Mart operates 213 of its traditional stores in Canada.

IKEA (610-834-0180) is planning to open a 300,000 sq.ft. Boucherville superstore in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The company currently operates 175 stores throughout 31 countries. The company plans on opening five stores a year throughout North America.

JCPenney Co., Inc. (972-431-1000) is planning to open a 95,000 sq.ft. store in Cedar Hill, TX. The company also plans on opening a store on Main Street in Plainfield, IN. The 92,000 sq.ft. store will be located in the Marketplace.

Cost Plus, Inc. (510-893-7300) is opening a Cost Plus World Market at the University Mall in Davis, CA. The company signed a 10-year lease for the 20,000 sq.ft. space. Opening is slated for the Fall. The company currently operates 177 stores throughout 23 states, including four in the greater Sacramento, CA area. The store will co-anchor with a 35,000 sq.ft. Gottschalks. Cost Plus added 25 stores last fiscal year and plans on opening another 29 during fiscal 2004.

Sharper Image Corp. (415-445-1583) is planning store openings to increase by 15% to 20% this year.

Best Buy Co. (952-947-2000) is planning to open a 30,500 sq.ft. store at the intersection of Iowa and 31st Streets in Lawrence, KS during June. The project also includes 20,800 sq.ft. of retail space that will be located near the 31st Street entrance to the Home Depot parking lot.

The Home Depot, Inc. (770-433-8211) is planning to open an 80,000 sq.ft. store on a land area of 10 acres located at the intersection of Hannaford Plaza and Main Street in Oneonta, NY. Of the 200 stores the company is planning to open this year, 80 have been in smaller markets in an attempt to compete with Lowe’s. Overall, the company operates 1,537 stores throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (303-595-4000) is planning to open a 3,000 sq.ft. restaurant at the intersection of Main Street and Edmonds Lane in Lewisville, TX. Opening is slated for July.

PetsMart, Inc. (623-580-6100) is planning to open 60 stores this year, up from 27 openings during 2002. It also plans on revamping existing stores. The company currently operates 580 pet supply stores throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Bob Evans (800-272-7675) is planning to open a 5,600 sq.ft. restaurant at the end of Potomac Circle, a cul-de-sac under construction west of Potomac Avenue SW in Grandville, MI.

H&M (212-489-7777) opened a store at the Exton Square Mall in Exton, PA. The company currently operates 49 stores throughout the U.S.

Worldwide Restaurant Concepts, Inc. (818-662-9800) is planning to open three Pat & Oscar’s restaurants during the coming two months throughout the Los Angeles, CA area. With the openings, the company is on track to meet its commitment of 30% to 40% unit growth in the current fiscal year. The company, formerly known as Sizzler International, Inc., operates, franchises or joint ventures 319 Sizzler restaurants worldwide, 11 KFC restaurants, primarily located in Queensland, Australia and 18 Pat & Oscar’s restaurants.

Tops Market (860-621-5837) is planning to open a store in Mid-City Plaza in North Tonawanda, NY.

Dillard’s, Inc. (501-376-5200) is planning to open a 160,000 sq.ft. store at Greenbrier Mall in Chesapeake, VA. The company also is planning to open two more stores in the Richmond, VA area. The Greenbrier store is slated for a Spring 2004 opening.

Nordstrom, Inc. (206-628-2111) is planning to open a 144,000 sq.ft. store at Barton Creek Square in Austin, TX during August. The store will include a cafe bistro, a restaurant offering entrees, seafood and sandwiches, an espresso bar and live piano music. It also will have a portico with a glass canopy at the main entry and a central escalator area capped by a skylight.

The Kroger Co. (513-762-4000) is planning to expand or remodel up to 50 stores throughout MI during the next three years. Overall, the company operates 2,461 stores nationwide. The company also is opening a supermarket at the corner of Houston Levee in Memphis, TN.

Jo-Ann Stores, Inc. (330-656-2600) is planning to open 20 stores this year. The store base is expected to contract by approximately 20 stores, with approximately 40 traditional stores planned for closure, half of which are related to the superstore openings. Square footage growth is expected to be approximately 1%.

Burlington Coat Factory (609-387-7800) is planning to open an 80,000 sq.ft. store at a site formerly occupied by JCPenney at the Eastland Mall in Charlotte, NC. Area demographics include a population of 225,000 within five miles earning $46,975 as the median household income.

Hobby Lobby (405-745-1100) is planning to open a 61,000 sq.ft. store at a space formerly occupied by Kmart at the Louisville Plaza near South Boulder Road and Colo. 42 in Louisville, KY. The company currently operates 298 stores throughout 26 states.

Safeway (925-467-3000) is planning to open a store at the intersection of Simpson and 14th Street in Portland, OR.

Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc. (908-688-0888) is opening a store at Chicago Ridge Mall located at the intersection of 95th and Ridgeland Avenue in Chicago, IL this year. The store will be approximately 31,000 sq.ft. in a space formerly occupied by Wards. Construction is slated to begin this Spring, with the opening scheduled for the Fall. The company currently operates over 490 stores throughout 44 states and Puerto Rico.

Beall’s (800-250-9206) is planning to open 15 Beall’s Home Outlet stores throughout FL. The larger-concept stores will occupy a space of 10,000 sq.ft.

OfficeMax, Inc. (216-471-3441) is planning to open some superstores this year, but also is planning to remodel over 250 existing units. Beginning in the fourth quarter, all new superstore openings will incorporate the company’s latest 20,000 sq.ft. prototype, reduced from its previous 23,500 sq.ft. layout.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. (336-726-8917) is planning to open three locations in the Portland, OR area. The company also is planning to open a 4,800 sq.ft. store at the intersection of Andersen Road and 83rd Street in Vancouver, WA. The company currently operates 270 stores throughout 37 states and in Canada.