|
|
|
Home improvement is about to get more spiffy.
Industry giant Lowe’s is opening its store at 3651 Stardust Drive in Hannibal at 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
The site is across from Wal-Mart and the River Bend Plaza shopping center on the northwest side of the city.
“We’re ready to go,” said store manager Ian Butler. “We’re looking forward to it.”
The 94,000-square-foot store, one of almost 1,600 in the U.S. and Canada, offers more than 32,000 items and has a garden center.
It is one of 120 new locations Lowe’s plans this year and up to 85 in fiscal 2009.
Lowe’s corporate spokeswoman Maureen Rich said the average investment for a store the size of Hannibal’s is $12 million.
Almost 125 full-time and part-time employees are wrapping up their training by learning about everything from mixing paint and the intricacies of an appliance to finding the right caulk and working the telephone system.
Saturday will be what the retailer calls a “soft opening.” It’s a chance for employees to grease the wheels under real conditions.
“You never know what can happen when the registers start ringing,” Butler said. “It’s a way to work out the bugs. You always run into problems.”
Lowe’s is second only to Home Depot in the multi-billion dollar home improvement industry.
Shares of both companies have fallen recently due to the economic downturn and a drop in home construction and renovations.
Despite the pressures, financial analysts say the outlook for North Carolina-based Lowe’s is improving. Unlike its stores along the coasts, sales are growing at locations in other regions.
Rich said the company is anxious to prove itself in Hannibal. The retailer’s closest location now is Quincy, Ill., which also has a Home Depot.
“We’re always thrilled to open our doors in any new community,” Rich said. “It’s a great opportunity to be able to serve customers in the Hannibal area.”
Terry Sampson of the Hannibal Area Chamber of Commerce said Lowe’s will be “good for the community.”
“It gives us another option,” Sampson said. “They carry just a little bit of everything. Hopefully, it’ll bring more people into Hannibal and once you do that, people start shopping at other stores.”
Lowe’s plans a grand opening that will include a “board-cutting ceremony” in place of a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. Nov. 6.
People who buy a Lowe’s gift card that day will help the Mark Twain Area Habitat for Humanity’s next building project because the retailer will match purchases up to $5,000.
Regular store hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.
Home improvement is about to get more spiffy.
Industry giant Lowe’s is opening its store at 3651 Stardust Drive in Hannibal at 6:30 a.m. Saturday.
The site is across from Wal-Mart and the River Bend Plaza shopping center on the northwest side of the city.
“We’re ready to go,” said store manager Ian Butler. “We’re looking forward to it.”
The 94,000-square-foot store, one of almost 1,600 in the U.S. and Canada, offers more than 32,000 items and has a garden center.
It is one of 120 new locations Lowe’s plans this year and up to 85 in fiscal 2009.
Lowe’s corporate spokeswoman Maureen Rich said the average investment for a store the size of Hannibal’s is $12 million.
Almost 125 full-time and part-time employees are wrapping up their training by learning about everything from mixing paint and the intricacies of an appliance to finding the right caulk and working the telephone system.
Saturday will be what the retailer calls a “soft opening.” It’s a chance for employees to grease the wheels under real conditions.
“You never know what can happen when the registers start ringing,” Butler said. “It’s a way to work out the bugs. You always run into problems.”
Lowe’s is second only to Home Depot in the multi-billion dollar home improvement industry.
Shares of both companies have fallen recently due to the economic downturn and a drop in home construction and renovations.
Despite the pressures, financial analysts say the outlook for North Carolina-based Lowe’s is improving. Unlike its stores along the coasts, sales are growing at locations in other regions.
Rich said the company is anxious to prove itself in Hannibal. The retailer’s closest location now is Quincy, Ill., which also has a Home Depot.
“We’re always thrilled to open our doors in any new community,” Rich said. “It’s a great opportunity to be able to serve customers in the Hannibal area.”
Terry Sampson of the Hannibal Area Chamber of Commerce said Lowe’s will be “good for the community.”
“It gives us another option,” Sampson said. “They carry just a little bit of everything. Hopefully, it’ll bring more people into Hannibal and once you do that, people start shopping at other stores.”
Lowe’s plans a grand opening that will include a “board-cutting ceremony” in place of a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. Nov. 6.
People who buy a Lowe’s gift card that day will help the Mark Twain Area Habitat for Humanity’s next building project because the retailer will match purchases up to $5,000.
Regular store hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.
