Retail briefs

Pamida, Inc., a regional retailer and division of ShopKo Stores, Inc., named the first group of stores to be remodeled in 2004, including 18 stores in nine states. The company completed the remodeling of 11 stores last year.

"Customer response to the stores we remodeled in 2003 has been positive," said Mike Hopkins, Pamida president.

"Pamida's emphasis on convenience and value, along with providing a greater selection of merchandise, is striking a chord with our shoppers."

Pamida store locations to be remodeled by mid-April 2004: Indiana (Batesville), Michigan (Standish, Whitehall), South Dakota (Madison, Winner), Iowa (Audubon) Montana (Libby, Livingston), Wisconsin (Eagle River, Ladysmith, Park Falls, Spooner, Waupun) Minnesota (Mora, Princeton, Wadena), Nebraska (Blair), and North Dakota (Beulah).

Pamida stores will remain open throughout the remodeling process with completion slated for mid-April. Approximately 30 more Pamida stores, in locations to be announced at a later date, are planned to be remodeled in 2004.

Dollar General plans to build a 1.1 million-square-foot distribution center on a 177-acre site in Union County, S.C. The $70 million facility will become the retailer's eighth DC. Construction is expected to begin in the second quarter, and the facility should be operational in the second quarter of fiscal 2005.

The good news is the shoppers have returned to stores at levels not seen since the heady days of 2000. The bad news is that they are no longer buying at the same pace. Instead, they are browsing to make better use of their money and shopping differently to simplify their lives, according to the How America Shops 2004 report.

Retailers on the rise include supercenters, dollar stores, warehouse clubs and the Internet. The survey, by WSL Strategic Retail, found that 63 percent of women had shopped a supercenter in the last 90 days, 62 percent had shopped at dollar stores, and 52 percent had shopped warehouse clubs.