Lowe’s Cos., Inc. (336-658-4000) is planning to open a 150,000 sq.ft. Lowe’s Home Improvement store with a lawn and garden center at Eastland Center located on Vernier Road in Harper Woods, MI.

The Home Depot, Inc. (770-433-8211) is planning to open 90 stores throughout the Midwest and Southwest this year. The company currently operates 1,489 stores throughout 49 states, Puerto Rico, Canada and Mexico. The company also is planning to open a 50,000 sq.ft. store on Route 67A at the former Ames Plaza in Bennington, VT.

PetsMart, Inc. (623-580-6100) is planning to open stores this year, as the company concludes a chainwide remodeling effort that moved stores from warehouses to something closer to a boutique look. About 35% of the stores will be located throughout CA and the Northeast. The company currently operates 580 stores nationwide and in Canada.

Pizza Patron, Inc. (214-841-9193) opened the company’s fourth location in Garland, TX. The concept focuses on marketing to a Hispanic clientele. The pizzerias occupy spaces of 800 sq.ft. to 1,100 sq.ft. and feature pizzas from $4.99 to $6.99.

Brinker International, Inc. (972-980-9917) is planning to open a Chili’s Grill & Bar restaurant at the intersection of Garth Road and Interstate 10 in Baytown, TX during May.

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (303-846-6000) opened a 6,351 sq.ft. restaurant at 3770 Bloomington Street near the intersection of Powers Boulevard and North Carefree in Colorado Springs, CO. The company currently operates 15 locations throughout CO. The company also plans to open 16 locations this year, including sites in Castle Rock, Grand Junction and Longmont, CO.

Target Corp. (612-370-6948) is planning to open three stores, including one SuperTarget, throughout the Memphis, TN area. The company plans to open 100 Target stores this year, including about 25 SuperTarget locations. Target is building a store near the southwest corner of Germantown Parkway and Trinity Road in Cordova, TN. The company also is planning a Collierville, TN store on Byhalia Road. Target currently has the following four existing locations in the Memphis area: 601 Colonial Road in East Memphis, 7989 Stage Road in Cordova, 9235 Highway 72 in Germantown and 7255 Interstate Drive in Horn Lake. The company currently operates 1,476 stores throughout 47 states. This includes 1,148 Target stores, 264 Mervyn’s stores and 64 Marshall Field’s stores. The company also is planning to open a 156,000 sq.ft. store located at the intersection the Major Deegan Expressway and 225th Street in Bronx, NY during March 2004. The store will feature a three-acre rooftop parking deck. The company currently operates NY stores in Queens at College Point and Queens Place and a store in Brooklyn at Gateway Center.

Kohl’s Corp. (262-703-7000) is planning to open an 88,400 sq.ft. store on Route 111 in Biddeford, MA during 2004. The company currently operates 457 stores throughout 33 states. Kohl’s Corp. also plans to open 80 stores this year, and is aggressively pushing into New England.

Cold Stone Creamery (480-348-1704) is planning to open a location at The Walk, a center located in Atlantic City, NJ, during June. The company also is opening locations in Landover, MD; Jamaica Estates, NY; Memphis, TN; Fairfax, VA and Washington, DC. The company currently operates 300 stores throughout 31 states and the Caribbean.

Nordstrom, Inc. (206-628-2111) is planning to open a 27,000 sq.ft. Nordstrom Rack store at Sawgrass Mills located at the intersection of West Sunrise Boulevard and Flamingo Road in Sunrise, FL during the Fall. The company currently operates 143 stores throughout 27 states, including 88 full-line stores, 48 Nordstrom Racks, five Faconnable boutiques, one freestanding shoe store and one clearance store. Nordstrom also operates 23 international Faconnable boutiques, primarily throughout Europe. The company also is planning to open a freestanding day spa at The Shops at North Bridge at 520 North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, IL during the Spring. The 3,500 sq.ft. spa will be located near the third-floor entrance of the Michigan Avenue Nordstrom store.

Bass Pro Shops (417-873-5023) is planning to open a 70,000 sq.ft. Bass Pro Sportsman’s Warehouse at the Fingerlakes Mall in Auburn, NY during the Fall. The company currently operates 16 locations, including sites in Chicago, IL; Atlanta, GA; Islamorada, Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando, FL; Dallas and Houston, TX; Memphis and Nashville, TN; Detroit, MI; Charlotte, NC; Cincinnati, OH; Baltimore, MD and Springfield and St. Louis, MO. A Bass Pro Shops Outlet Center also is located in Springfield, MO. The company also is planning to open sites in Bossier City, LA; Destin, FL; Oklahoma City, OK; Hampton, VA and Las Vegas, NV.

Dollar General Corp. (615-855-4000) is planning to open 650 stores during 2003. The company currently operates 6,076 stores throughout 27 states.

Elmer’s Restaurants, Inc. (503-252-1485) is planning to open 20 franchised units during the next three years. The company currently operates 10 Elmer’s restaurants and franchises 22 Elmer’s restaurants throughout CA, ID, MT, OR and WA. The company also operates five Mitzel’s American Kitchen restaurants in the Puget Sound area of WA and 13 delicatessen-style restaurants throughout OR.

Steak ‘n Shake (317-633-4100) opened a 4,000 sq.ft. restaurant near the Arlington Mall in Arlington, TX. The company also plans to open as many as 40 locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth, TX area by the end of 2004. Steak ‘n Shake currently operates 400 restaurants throughout 19 states.

Walgreen Co. (847-914-2500) is planning to combine three small tracts at the intersection of Pioneer Parkway and Belt Line Road in Grand Prairie, TX to build a store. The company currently operates about 100 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX locations and plans to open 12 to 15 stores this year.

Grocery Outlet, Inc. (510-845-1999) opened a location in West Sacramento, CA at a former Staples location. The company also is developing property in the Home Depot Center in Yakima, WA and is about to open two more locations in Salem, OR and Las Vegas, NV. Grocery Outlet, Inc. also plans to open 25 stores in eight western states during the coming two years. The company currently operates 117 locations.

Aarons Rents, Inc. (404-231-0011) is planning to open 70 stores this year. The company, which sells residential and office furniture, accessories, consumer electronics and household appliances, currently operates 700 stores throughout 43 states and Puerto Rico.