Bob’s Discount Furniture to open two Pittsburgh-area stores

Bob’s Discount Furniture will push farther west into Pennsylvania later this year with the opening of its first two Pittsburgh-area stores.

The 54-store Top 100 company, which has been on an expansion tear in recent months, said it is leasing locations for the stores slated to open in the second quarter — a 24,000-square-foot showroom in Robinson Township, 12 miles west of Pittsburgh, and a 35,000-square-foot store in Monroeville, 15 miles east of the city. Terms and other details about the locations were not disclosed.

“The two new Pittsburgh-area locations will bring Bob’s high-quality, affordable home furnishings to an even wider audience in and around the state, which will soon be served by seven stores in the greater Philadelphia area and another store in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., all of which have opened within the past year,” the company said in a release.

The promotional to midpriced Bob’s is set to open three Philly-area stores Thursday, pushing that market total up to the seven stores and its total store count to 57.

Bob’s is No. 14 on Furniture/Today’s Top 100 with estimated 2013 sales of $758 million at then-47 stores.

The company said the new Pittsburgh stores will be serviced from Bob’s 672,000-square-foot Aberdeen, Md., distribution center.

In the release, Bob’s president emeritus and co-founder Bob Kaufman said the retailer is pleased to be extending its footprint into Pittsburgh, adding, “Pennsylvania is a high-priority market for us, and we look forward to opening even more stores there in the months ahead.”

The Pittsburgh news is the latest in a series of expansion moves by the Manchester, Conn.-based retailer as it continues to push beyond its Northeastern stronghold. In November, Bob’s confirmed plans to open its first two Baltimore-area stores during the first half of this year.

Shortly after, the company told Furniture/Today it also was eyeing Chicago and other major markets for western expansion. In January, Bob’s firmed up those Chicago plans when it leased a 752,000-square-foot facility in Shorewood, Ill., for a Chicagoland distribution center. Stores are set to follow in the market in 2016, although the company hasn’t disclosed details on the number of showrooms or locations.

The retailer’s aggressive push into new territory appears fueled by private equity firm Bain Capital, which acquired a majority stake in Bob’s early last year. When that deal was announced, Bob’s CEO Ted English said Bain brings “the experience and resources we need to support our continued expansion to serve more customers in more places, and to provide opportunities for advancement for our people.”

The company currently operates stores in New England, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Source: Furniture Today