Dollar General (615-855-4000) is planning to open a store on a land area of 0.749 acres on Route 80 in Russell County, VA. Dollar General currently operates over 6,000 stores throughout 27 states.

Outback Steakhouse, Inc. (813-282-1225) is planning to open 20 to 22 Bonefish Grill restaurants this year.

Michaels Stores, Inc. (800-642-4235) is planning to open a Star Decorators Wholesale Warehouse in Atlanta, GA during September. The 38,000 sq.ft. store will offer merchandise for interior decorators and designers, retail florists and floral designers, wedding and event planners, gift shop owners and other professionals. The company currently operates 777 Michaels stores throughout 48 states and Canada, 156 Aaron Brothers stores located primarily on the West Coast, one ReCollections store in Frisco, TX and one wholesale operation in Dallas, TX.

99 Cents Only Stores (323-980-8145) is planning to open nine stores in the Houston, TX area by September and 15 by the end of the year. The Houston stores are larger concepts, ranging from 28,000 sq.ft. to 35,000 sq.ft. Overall, the company plans to open 150 stores throughout TX in the near future. The company currently operates 160 stores.

Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc. (908-688-0888) opened its 500th store last month. The company also is planning expansion of Christmas Tree Shops, which it recently acquired. Last year, Christmas Tree Shops posted net sales of approximately $370 million, operating 23 stores throughout six states, including 14 locations in MA.

Lowe’s Cos., Inc. (336-658-4000) is planning to open 25 Lowe’s Home Improvement stores throughout Southeast MI during the coming five years. This year, the company will open locations in Clinton Township, Ann Arbor, Sterling Heights and Harper Woods. Lowe’s larger-concept stores are typically 141,000 sq.ft., including an outdoor garden center.

Talbots, Inc. (781-749-7600) is planning to open 150 stores by 2005. The company currently operates 920 stores under the following tradenames: Talbots Misses, Talbots Petites, Talbots Kids and Talbots Women. This year, the company plans on opening another 53 stores, while plans call for 127 openings during 2004.

CompUSA, Inc. (972-982-4000) opened a 22,000 sq.ft. store in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. Overall, the company is planning to open two stores in Puerto Rico during the coming two years, including a store in Carolina that will occupy a space of approximately 28,000 sq.ft. The company plans to open a 35,000 sq.ft. flagship store during 2004. CompUSA currently operates 225 stores throughout 90 states.

Total Entertainment Restaurant Corp. (316-634-0505) is planning to open 10 to 12 locations this year. During the second quarter, the company opened restaurants in Denver, CO and Philadelphia, PA. Three units are currently under construction, leases have been executed on four additional sites and lease negotiations have begun on two additional sites. The company currently operates 59 restaurants under the Fox and Hound and Bailey’s tradenames.

Panera Bread (314-633-7100) is planning to open a 4,500 sq.ft. location at Coliseum Towers located just east of Coldwater Road and Glenbrook Square in Fort Wayne, IN during September. The company currently operates approximately 480 stores throughout 32 states.

Whataburger (361-878-0650) is planning to open a restaurant at the intersection of Butler Boulevard and Philips Highway in Jacksonville, FL. Overall, the company is planning to open 30 to 40 locations during the coming five years. The company also expects to open approximately 129 restaurants throughout the Orlando and Tampa, FL area during the coming seven years. Whataburger operates approximately 600 locations, mainly throughout the Southeast and Southwest.

Wal*Mart Stores, Inc. (650-837-5000) is planning to open a 219,000 sq.ft. Wal*Mart Supercenter along Ramon Road in Palm Springs, CA during 2005.

Kohl’s Corp. (262-703-7000) is planning to open 13 Kohl’s stores throughout AZ, including 10 in Phoenix, two in Tucson and one in Flagstaff. The company currently operates 492 stores nationwide.

Famous Dave’s, Inc. (952-294-1300) is planning to open a Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que restaurant at the Scottsdale Center in Rogers, AR. The company currently operates 64 locations throughout 18 states.

Borders Group, Inc. (734-477-1265) is planning to open two Borders Books & Music superstores in FL during the Fall. A 22,000 sq.ft. store is scheduled to open in Clearwater Mall located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 19 and U.S. Highway 60 in Clearwater during September, while a 21,000 sq.ft. store is scheduled to open in Brandon Crossroads Shopping Center located at the intersection of Lumsden Road and Providence Road in Brandon during November. Both stores will include a Cafe Borders. The company currently operates approximately 410 Borders domestic superstores, 34 international stores located primarily in the United Kingdom and the Pacific Rim, 37 Books etc. stores throughout Great Britain and approximately 770 Waldenbooks stores in malls nationwide.

The Cheesecake Factory, Inc. (818-871-3000) is planning to open a 12,600 sq.ft. Cheesecake Factory restaurant located at The Fountains in Overland Park, KS. The company also is planning to open as many as 10 additional restaurants during the remainder of fiscal 2003. Overall, the company operates 63 Cheesecake Factory restaurants, three Grand Lux Cafe locations in Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, IL and Las Vegas, NV and one The Cheesecake Factory Express location inside the DisneyQuest center in Orlando, FL.

Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. (781-380-8000) is planning to open a supermarket at The Concourse in Waterville, ME. The supermarket chain acquired the lease rights of 18 former Ames stores, including the Waterville facility and another store in Orono.

Eckerd Corp. (800-325-3737) is planning to open stores in Homosassa, St. Petersburg and Ocala, FL. The site for the Homosassa location is at the intersection of U.S. 19 and Grover Cleveland Boulevard; the St. Petersburg store will be located at the intersection of 9th Street and 9th Avenue North, while the Ocala location will be at the intersection of 441 and NW 35th Street. Opening for all three stores is slated for December. At 13,824 sq.ft., each store will feature a double drive-thru pharmacy and an Eckerd Express One-Hour Photo.