BJ’s plans flurry of club openings

BJ’s Wholesale Club is fueling its recent expansion by opening four new warehouse clubs, including its first in Indiana and another in metropolitan Columbus, Ohio.

Westborough, Mass.-based BJ’s said the new clubs are slated to open during the next phase of its 2022 development plans in the Indianapolis suburb Noblesville and in New Albany, Ohio; Wayne, N.J.; and Midlothian, Va. Most recently, BJ’s opened a new club with a gas station in Lady Lake, Fla. — its 229th location and 159th fuel center — on May 13. The latest stores will raise the company’s total to 233.

“We’ve seen tremendous success in growing our footprint over the last several years, both in our core East Coast communities as well as in new markets like the greater Detroit and Pittsburgh areas,” Bill Werner, executive vice president of strategy and development at BJ’s, said in a statement. “Our expansion into the greater Indianapolis and Columbus markets allows us to bring the value of our membership to these new communities we look forward to serving.”

The Noblesville club will mark BJ’s entry into Indiana, its 18th state, while the New Albany club will be the retailer’s seventh location in Ohio, and the Midlothian and Wayne clubs will add to BJ’s considerable presence in Virginia (13 clubs) and New Jersey (23 clubs), respectively. Each new store is expected to hire approximately 150 employees.

Related:BJ’s Wholesale Club reaps Q1 sales, earnings gains

All four new clubs will feature BJ’s one-stop shopping experience, including an extensive selection of fresh foods; a full-service deli; household essentials like paper products, cleaning products, diapers and pet supplies; and apparel, seasonal items, toys, tech and local products.

Shopping options also will include BJ’s mobile app, digital coupons, in-club pickup, curbside pickup, same-day delivery, Same-Day Select and ExpressPay. The new clubs, too, will have BJ’s Gas stations offering BJ’s Fuel Savers program.

BJ’s opened five new clubs and seven new BJ’s Gas stations in 2021, finishing the year with 226 clubs and 157 fuel locations in 17 states. The company aims to open around 10 this year and next.

“We remain on track with our real estate plans, and our confidence in our expansion strategy continues to grow with each new club opening,” BJ’s President and CEO Robert Eddy told analysts in a conference call last month on first-quarter results. “[New clubs include] our small-box pilot BJ’s Market in Warwick, R.I. BJ’s market is about half the size of [a standard] club. It will serve as a place where we can test assortments, displays, product demonstrations and convenience initiatives and then apply those lessons across the broader portfolio to strengthen our operations over time. We continue to expect to open a total of 11 new clubs this year and see a path to opening another 10 next year.”

Related:BJ’s Market small-format club set to make debut

Currently, BJ’s operates 229 wholesale clubs and 160 BJ’s Gas locations in 17 states.