Hhgregg will open its first stores west of the...

Hhgregg will open its first stores west of the Mississippi River in late summer when it opens four stores in the St. Louis area, Jeff Pearson, senior vice president-marketing, told Consumer Electronics Daily. One store will be in Gravois Bluffs, a 300-acre retail, office, and entertainment mall in Fenton, Mo., that once housed Ultimate Electronics, before the chain went into bankruptcy last year, as well as an American TV and Appliance store that shut with three others last year as part of a “pre-emptive strike” to close unprofitable locations in the St. Louis area (CED June 6/11 p2). Pearson said hhgregg didn’t have “anything to share at this time” about opening date and square footage of stores but said in general hhgregg stores are about 25,000-30,000 square feet. Each store typically employs about 50 people including store management, sales associates, customer service reps and warehouse staff, Pearson said. The company has previously said it would leverage its investment in its distribution center in Chicago, as part of the company’s long-term goal of being a national retailer. Pearson didn’t comment on further plans for expansion in the western U.S. The retailer currently operates 210 stores in Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.