INDIANAPOLIS — The RoomPlace will open its 22nd full-service store this week on Indianapolis’ north side in a move to build out its coverage in the market with the first of two new stores coming here.
The Top 100 company said the store at 8401 N. Michigan Road, in a former Gold’s Gym location, will open Friday with a grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony at 12:30 p.m. It’s the Lombard, Ill.-based retailer’s fourth showroom in the area. A fifth store in the market is slated to open later this year.
The store is part of an aggressive growth strategy for RoomPlace owner and Chairman Bruce Berman, who also has announced plans to open his first Easyhome franchise rent-to-own locations.
“We’re thrilled to continue our rapid expansion in Indianapolis,” RoomPlace CEO Paul Adams, said in a release. “We have been in this market since 2008 and find this city, its communities and residents to be a natural fit for our business.”
Berman previously told Furniture/Today that with the new Indianapolis showrooms, each about 30,000 square feet, he was making the move to strengthen the retailer’s advertising clout in the market. He noted that five stores “puts us in a much more competitive situation,” along the lines of RoomPlace’s penetration in Chicago, where it spreads advertising cost over 18 stores.
He declined to disclose the investment, but had said the company was renovating both new spaces, and the store designs will be similar to others the promotional to midpriced retailer has opened over the past few years.
The new location will create more than 20 new jobs, the company said.
“We have been able to grow at impressive speeds in the Indianapolis area,” Berman said. “We already have stores in Castleton, Greenwood and Carmel and are excited to add these two additional locations. Bringing new jobs to the area is something we’re passionate about, along with giving back to the community.”
The grand opening celebration includes a donation of $2,500 in furniture to Pike Township Fire Department. Consumers also will have a chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree after signing up at the new store any time between May 23 and July 12.
The RoomPlace is No. 44 on Furniture/Today’s just-released Top 100 with estimated 2013 sales of $154 million at 22 Chicagoland and Indianapolis-area stores, including a clearance center.