Kohl’s buys location at mall

After months of television commercials, Kohl’s Department Stores Inc. is moving into Spokane.

The value-priced chain recently bought the Mervyns location at NorthTown mall for $5 million, county records show.

Kohl’s – which sells a family-friendly mix of apparel, shoes and accessories along with products for the home and other merchandise – had $13.4 billion in net sales last year. According to a recent news release, the Menomonee Falls, Wis.-based retailer operates 749 stores in 43 states.

Kohl’s company spokeswoman Julie Lando declined to offer any details about the new store or when it might open, saying, “We time our media outreach much closer to the grand opening.”

The NorthTown Mervyns location is among 13 Washington stores that have been up for grabs because that retailer is pulling out of the state to focus its efforts on more profitable stores.

Mervyns LLC announced the move last January, saying the Spokane store would close by January or February of 2007. It isn’t clear whether the Kohl’s purchase will alter that time frame and the California-based retailer didn’t respond to phone inquiries Wednesday.

Krissy Dennler, marketing assistant for NorthTown Mall, which is owned by General Growth Properties Inc., said she isn’t sure what’s on the horizon for the Kohl’s location.

“We’re not sure what their intentions are with this space,” Dennler said.

Kohl’s finalized the purchase of the NorthTown property March 31. According to published reports, Kohl’s also acquired Mervyns locations in Bellingham, Lynnwood, Silverdale and Redmond, Wash., around the same time.

Although Kohl’s hasn’t formally announced that it’s opening stores in the recently purchased Mervyns locations, the company’s Web site highlights plans to enter the Northwest and locate in Seattle and Portland. Last year, the company opened 95 stores and Kohl’s plans to open another 80 to 85 stores by the fourth quarter of fiscal 2006, the Web site said.

Records provided through First American Title show that Kohl’s purchased the about 51,000-square-foot parcel on the northeast corner of NorthTown from MDS Realty 1, LLC – a limited liability company that holds title to various properties that are leased by Mervyns LLC. The Western Washington Mervyns properties were also owned by MDS Realty.