SEATTLE — Bartell Drugs is hatching plans to open its 59th store next year.
The Puget Sound, Wash.-area drug chain said Thursday that the new store in North Bend, Wash., which is about 30 miles east of Seattle, is slated to open in mid-2013. Construction at the site, in Borgen Plaza, is due to start late this year.
Bartell noted that the North Bend location will be its first all-new store to showcase the chain’s next-generation interior concept. The format features expanded product offerings, bright new displays, decor accents, enhanced lighting, new store department motifs and other improvements to enhance the overall shopping experience.
"We have been exploring expansion into the Upper Snoqualmie Valley for many years and have considered several possible locations," chairman and chief executive officer George Bartell said in a statement. "This is a site that can conveniently serve area residents, from Fall City to Snoqualmie Pass."
Bartell’s next-gen retail concept made its debut last September at a 15,475-square-foot remodeled store in Seattle’s Roosevelt Square.
According to the chain, the format creates a new shopping environment via attractive lighting, signage and furnishings that highlight new product areas under banners depicting customer’s health, wellness and daily needs, including the "Fresh Beauty" cosmetics department, "Urban Market" and "Sweets & Snacks" front-end sections, "Wellness Courtyard" for health-related items and "Creative Print Studio" photo department.
