AutoZone store set for vacant site in LR

The Pier 1 Imports store on Bowman Road in west Little Rock that closed last year will become an AutoZone Auto Parts store, according to a city building permit obtained last week.

The permit said its purpose is to remodel the building at 724 S. Bowman Road into an outlet for the Memphis-based retailer. The work, valued at nearly $520,000, will include “interior alterations-paint, new restrooms, floor tile, new lighting, electrical, new HVAC equipment, modified entry, modified delivery entry/exit and exterior paint.”

The property, which shares an entrance with the Walmart and Sam’s Club at 700 S. Bowman Road, has been vacant about a year.

The Pier 1 Imports store had been operating at that location for about 20 years when the national retailer announced in January 2020 that it was closing about half of its 942 stores, shuttering some distribution centers and planning corporate job cuts.

The chain filed for bankruptcy protection a month later and in May asked the bankruptcy court to close all its stores.

AutoZone has 6,000 stores nationwide. Its first store was opened in Forrest City as an Auto Shack in 1979, according to the retailer’s website.

In its fiscal second quarter that ended Feb. 13, AutoZone reported samestore sales growth of 15.2%. AutoZone shares fell $18.28 on Tuesday to close at $1,435.91.