Retailers Still Pushing Into Florida Sites

KISSIMMEE, FL-Despite a weakening retail sales climate nationally, many chain stores have not yet tempered their new-store expansion plans, and this state will be home to much of that growth. A group of retail executives spoke here at the International Council of Shopping Centers’ Florida Conference to detail their new-unit plans.

“We’re really excited about the sales volume we’re seeing,” says Deb Chappell, director of real estate at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, which recently opened its first location in Orlando. The 63-restaurant chain, based in Huntington Beach, CA, now has three Florida and is looking for more, from the southern part of the state to Jacksonville, she says.

Apparel chain Coldwater Creek is also making headway into the state, with plans to open about 30 stores in the state on top of the 12 it already operates over the next five years. The Sand Point, ID-based company’s new spa concept, of which there are now six across the country, will open its first Florida location in October.