Retailer to employ 25 workers at new Springfield location

A growing discount retail chain will open a new location on Upper Valley Pike in Springfield later this month, the latest in what local officials describe as a rapidly changing retail landscape.

Bargain Hunt, based in Tennessee, will open a 40,000-square-foot retail store in the former Hobby Lobby site at 1390 Upper Valley Pike on Friday, Feb. 17. The chain focuses on selling brand-name merchandise at discounts and will employ about 25 people, said Elizabeth Pruitt, a spokeswoman for the company. The chain plans a soft opening on Feb. 15.

RELATED: Clark County land bank to buy old Macy’s at Upper Valley Mall

This will be the chain’s fifth store in Ohio, along with locations in Cincinnati, Columbus and Heath. Company officials considered several factors before deciding to open in Springfield, Pruitt said.

The chain has plans to open additional locations in the state later this year, including Miamisburg in March and Hamilton in June.

“We like the demographics, the market size and the location of Springfield,” Pruitt said.

Local officials are trying several tactics to draw more retail to the city and surrounding townships. Earlier this year, the Clark County commissioners approved a contract to hire Buxton Co., a Texas-based consulting firm, to identify and attract retailers that would be a good fit for Clark County.

READ MORE: Store to close at Upper Valley Mall, move to Bechtle Avenue

The Clark County Land Reutilization Corp. has also said it plans to spend about $250,000 to buy and maintain the former Macy's store at the Upper Valley Mall and eventually find a new buyer for the site. The location of the new retailer should be a good fit for Upper Valley Pike, said George Degenhart, planning and zoning director in German Twp.

Several national retailers have closed stores across the U.S. as consumers increasingly shop online and consumer habits shift.

“We’re beginning to see retail in terms of what we can support in our area,” Degenhart said. “We know big box stores are having difficulties nationally and I firmly believe that is going to continue. We’re just now beginning to see how we’re going to reconfigure.”

The Bargain Hunt chain is mostly located in Southeastern states but opened its first store in Ohio about a year ago, Pruitt said. The chain has grown as consumers increasingly look for steep discounts on name-brand items, she said. The chain plans to open between 25 and 30 new locations this year alone.

Bargain Hunt receives much of its merchandise from other retailers, including Amazon, and tries to encourage shoppers to visit the stores regularly with quick turnover of its inventory.

DETAILS: Bechtle Booms as Upper Valley Pike struggles

“There’s a huge interest in discount and value,” Pruitt said. “People still like name brands, but they want to get more for their money, and we very much think that is why we want to grow and can grow. We can be opening more stores where maybe other stores are closing.”

The chain focused on Upper Valley Pike in part due to its proximity to a Rural King store along with the condition of the building, Pruitt said. Several retail chains have closed locations on Upper Valley Pike in recent years and moved to Bechtle Avenue, which has seen steady growth.


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By the numbers:

5 — Bargain Hunt locations in Ohio, including Springfield

63 — Bargain Hunt locations in the U.S.

40,000 square feet— size of the new Springfield store

20 — New locations the chain opened in 2016

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