SANFORD — By the second week of November a new store will open in the old Wal-Mart location on Main Street, further expanding the community’s big box retail sector and just in time for what retailers nationwide and closer to home hope will be a lucrative holiday shopping season.
Ocean State Job Lot, a Rhode Island-based close-out retailer, plans to buy the 15-year-old, 93,000 square foot former Wal-Mart store at 1327 Main St. The property, on 13 acres, is listed for $2.95 million and became vacant July 15, when Wal-Mart opened in a new, larger retail location further down Main Street near Route 99.
Ocean State Job Lot vice president of operations Richard Portno said the company will close on the property soon, and the company is already advertising for employees.
Portno said Ocean State Job Lot, which specializes in manufacturer close-outs, chose Sanford because of its location.
“We feel there is a substantial population base interested in close-out shopping,” he said.
According to the real estate division of Wal-Mart, which advertised the property on its Web site, the 2007 estimated population within a five mile-radius is close to 25,000, and more than doubles, to 55,000, within a 10-mile radius. The estimated annual income for 2007 within those populations ranged from $42,000 to $49,000.
A close-out is merchandise that has been discontinued by the manufacturer ”“ it can be because the items is the previous season’s color or packaging or an overstock, said Portno.
He said shoppers will find a range of merchandise from electronics to clothing to household goods and gourmet foods.
“We call it adventure shopping. You never know what you’re going to find,” Portno said.
An example is a range of resort-wear clothing from a manufacturer left-over from the 2008 season. “It is first quality and we’re selling it for 80 percent off the suggested retail price,” Portno said.
Maine Merchants Association executive director Curtis Picard said the close-out model has been lucrative for two Maine-based chains ”“ Renys and Marden’s, which also specialize in salvage merchandise and insurance losses.
“People shop at Renys and Marden’s for the same reasons,” Picard pointed out, citing affordability, particularly when the economy is shaky.
The opening of Ocean State Job Lot, set for just five months after Wal-Mart vacated the property, marks another step in Sanford’s “big box” development. The new Wal-Mart Supercenter opened a month ago, and Lowe’s is set to open later this year.
Portno said Ocean State Job Lot will hire 12 full-time and 18 part-time workers to operate the store as well as up to 20 temporary workers to help ready the store. Full-time employees will receive 100 percent company-paid health insurance after one year of employment, he noted.
Picard estimated 90,000 Mainers are employed in the retail trade. And while Ocean State Job Lot will be hiring a mix of full -and part-time workers, Picard said part-time work, which had dried up during the recession, is valuable to some Mainers who need to earn extra money but also need a flexible schedule.
Ocean State Job Lot began with a single, 3,000 square-foot store in North Kingstown, R.I. in 1977. The Sanford store will be the fourth in Maine after Bangor, Belfast and a newly-opened store in Oxford. It will become the 92 store in the six New England states and New York.
Meanwhile, Picard said he has seen a “mixed bag” for retailers this summer. The tourist industry suffered during rainy June and July, but some retailers are doing OK.
“We’ll be interested to see how the holiday season shakes out,” said Picard. He said with last year’s sour holiday sales report nationwide, sales will be in positive territory this year and that, he predicted, will help people’s buying mood.
— Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 or twells@journaltribune.com.
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