Ross Dress for Less to open new store

Rapidly expanding offprice retailer Ross Dress for Less plans to open another Milwaukee-area store, this one in a strip mall at E. Capitol Drive and N. Holton St.

The new store, at 356 E. Capitol, is to open in October. It will replace a Big Lots discount store that closed a year ago.

The City of Milwaukee has issued a construction permit to the property owner, an affiliate of Illinoisbased Tri-Land Properties Inc., for an estimated $515,000 worth of alterations to accommodate Ross.

California-based Ross opened its first Wisconsin store in October 2015, and has added several since then. The firm’s website lists 11 stores in the state, including eight in southeastern Wisconsin.

Ross is among discount merchants that have thrived in what has been a difficult environment for apparel retailers, such as Kohl’s and Macy’s, that target middleincome customers.

While both Kohl’s and Macy’s saw sales at existing stores decline last year, Ross posted a 4% gain.

The company’s year-overyear increases since 2012 in same-store sales, a key industry measure, have ranged from 3% to 6% — numbers most retailers would envy.

Ross operates more than 1,360 Dress for Less stores nationwide, up by more than 300 since 2012.

The company says it plans to add 70 locations this year.