A Shopko Hometown store is slated to open in Waupaca in the late fall of 2012.
It will be located in the Waupaca Woods Mall on West Fulton Street in the space currently occuppied by Torborgs Waupaca Lumber.
Torborgs is in the process of remodeling the former LeRoy Butler Ford building on Royalton Street. It will be moving there the end of this month.
The Shopko Hometown store will include a pharmacy and an optical center.
Construction is scheduled to begin within the next few weeks. The grand opening is planned for October.
City Administrator Henry Veleker said the city has received a site plan application from Shopko, which is being reviewed by staff.
That application will go before the city’s Plan Commission when it meets on Wednesday, May 9.
Waupaca is one of three Wisconsin communities where Shopko recently announced plans to open new stores. The other communities are Columbus and Stanley.
The Shopko Hometown retail format, developed over the past three years to augment Shopko’s larger store model and focused on serving smaller rural communities, combines retail health services, as well as apparel, home furnishings, toys, consumer electronics, seasonal items, and lawn and garden products.
Following a recent acquisition, Shopko is currently in the process of converting over 170 former Pamida stores, including one in Clintonville, to the Shopko Hometown format.
“We’re excited to bring Shopko Hometown to these great communities,” said Paul Jones, Shopko president, chairman and CEO. “We understand that consumers in smaller towns are looking for the same variety of high quality goods and trend right merchandise that can be found in larger cities. Customers of our Hometown stores tell us they appreciate the vastly improved shopping experience and access to a broad, differentiated selection of merchandise, including products and brands previously not available in their community.”
By year end, these three stores will be part of the over 180 Shopko Hometowns, making Shopko one of the nation’s largest retailers serving smaller communities.