Ross Dress for Less to open in Westdale

CEDAR RAPIDS - Off-price apparel and home fashion store Ross Dress for Less has committed to open in the Westdale shopping development in Cedar Rapids, mall officials announced on Monday.

The Dublin, Calif., retail chain will be located in the ground level of the former Von Maur building, between the entrances for anchors J.C. Penney and Younkers. The timeline of the opening remains fluid, said Lisa Rowe, vice president of retail for Frew Development Group, LLC, which owns Westdale, and the development's general manager.

'It's going to be a great addition, a great store,” Rowe said. 'They, like Burlington Coat Factory, saw the advantage of the central location to draw people from the north and south ends of the Corridor.”

The space will likely turned over to Ross construction crews at the end of the summer, but the opening date is unclear, Rowe said. She referred questions about the size of the store and employment to Ross, which did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Ross Stores Inc. reported fiscal year 2015 revenue of $11.9 billion. Ross, which was founded in 1982, has 1,342 locations in 36 states, Washington, D.C., and Guam. The Westdale location would be the first in Iowa, which should create an added draw, Rowe said. The closest Ross location is in Moline, Ill.

'Our focus has been on bringing our customers a constant stream of high quality department and specialty store brands at extraordinary savings aka bargains, while providing an easy, fun and organized shopping experience,” according to the company website.

Offerings include in-season, name brand and designer apparel, accessories, footwear and home fashions at savings of 20 percent to 60 percent off department and specialty store regular prices, according to a corporate profile.

'We believe in ‘no frills' - no window displays, mannequins, fancy fixtures or decorations in our stores so we can pass more savings on to our customers,” according to the website.

Ross is the latest addition as Frew Development redevelops the 72-acre Westdale site, which opened in 1979 and once was a 900,000 square foot indoor shopping mall. It had hit hard times, losing tenants as the mall deteriorated.

Burlington recently opened, joining J.C. Penney and Younkers as anchor stores, and Tru, an 82-room hotel is under construction on the site.

Westdale has 14 stores and restaurants and Ross is among three more announced but not yet open.

Demolition of the original Westdale structure and infrastructure work, such as internal roads and lighting, had seen the most action, but 2017 should see a lot more 'vertical construction,” Rowe said. She noted all pad sites on the exterior of the mall are ready, pending a tenant commitment.

The city of Cedar Rapids is heavily invested in the $90 million Westdale Mall redevelopment, which originally was pitched as a pedestrian friendly concept centered on greens and outdoor gathering space. The project plans were amended into a more traditional big box retail layout dominated by large parking lots.

The city awarded an estimated $11.7 million in tax rebates and served as the guarantor of an $11.5 million loan.