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Flowood Lures Two Retail Giants

Published April 3, 2004.

Reprinted with permission of The Clarion Ledger

By Sylvain Metz

smetz@clarionledger.com

Two nationally recognized retailers are coming to Flowood - Kohl's department store and Lowe's Home Improvement Center.

One will be new to the area. The other is making a comeback.

The two will locate in Lakeland Commons, a 62.69-acre shopping center to be built at Mississippi 25 and Old Fannin Road, said Richard Ridgway, vice president of Ridgway Management, which owns the land.

The shopping center will be the third at this intersection, joining Dogwood Festival Market, which opened in 2002, and Dogwood Promenade, which is under construction.

Lakeland Commons is scheduled to open in spring 2005. Once completed, the three centers will have 1.2 million square feet of shopping space.

The development also will include nationally recognized clothing stores, a coffeehouse and restaurants, said Ridgway, who has partnered with Trademark

Property Co. of Fort Worth to build the $70 million to $80 million development.

A Holiday Inn Express also will be located on the property, Ridgway said.

Work to clear the property on the northwest corner of the intersection began Thursday after Kohl's and Lowe's finalized the deal.

Clearing the property is expected to take 30 to 45 days. After that, the site is expected to take three to four months to prepare for construction.

"There won't be another intersection like this in the state of Mississippi," Ridgway said.

Ridgway and his Texas partners also are preparing plans for the 70 acres they own on the southwest corner. Now fronted by an Eckerd drugstore and two branch banks under construction, the develop-ment will be a mix of commercial and retail space, including entertainment, Ridgway said.

"It will be more mixed use," Ridgway said, adding details will be released in four to six months.

"The Lakeland Commons just solidifies that this intersection is the hot, new retail spot for the metro area," said Tom Troxler, executive vice president for the Rankin County Economic Development Authority.

Lowe's, which had a presence in Jackson years ago on U.S. 80 between Clinton and Jackson, will build a 165,725-square-foot store, the largest in the 400,000-square-foot shopping center.

The company also is locating a store in Crawford Farms, a retail development in Madison, across from the Wal-Mart SuperCenter, said Derek Weaver, a developer with Apple Development Co.

Lowe's has considered a location off County Line Road in Ridgeland, between Centre Street and Ridgewood Road, as well.

Founded in 1946, Lowe's features 18 product categories ranging from power tools and equipment to lumber, lighting and plumbing, according to company information.

Lowe's operates more than 950 stores in 46 states, including 13 locations in Mississippi.

Lowe's is in the midst of an aggressive expansion plan, hoping to open more than 400 stores by the end of 2005, said Jennifer Smith, a spokeswoman for the company.

Although the company is 58 years old, new expansions place the average age of the stores at 4 years old, she said.

With 150,000 employees (1,500 in Mississippi), the company reported $30.8 billion in sales in 2003, according to company information from its Web site.

Kohl's, with headquarters in Menomonee Falls, Wis., will build an 88,248-square-foot store. The stores feature apparel, shoes and accessories for men, women and children, as well as other home products, including small electronics, bedding and luggage, according the company Web site.

Begun in 1962 as a department store, the company now has 563 stores in 37 states, including one in Southaven.

Kohl's, which employs, 85,500 full- and part-time workers, reported sales of $10.3 billion in 2003.

Dogwood Promenade, a $106.9 million retail shopping center scheduled to open in October, will include a Target and Kroger grocery store.

Both Dogwood Promenade and Dogwood Festival Market are owned and managed by Aronov Realty Inc. of Montgomery.