By By Adam Prestridge
There is no question that Citi Trends, Inc. will soon be locating in the old K-Mart building located in Atmore Plaza.
Chief executive officer Ed Anderson confirmed Wednesday afternoon that the retailer, which specializes in value-priced urban apparel and accessories for men, women and children, would open its doors this spring. Although a firm date for the grand opening has not been reached, Anderson believes it will be either late March or early April.
Citi Trends, which operates 319 stores located in 20 states and employs more than 3,000 people across the country, currently has a number of stores in Alabama including three stores in Mobile and one in Pensacola, Fla. Anderson said officials believed Atmore’s population characteristics would be ideal for the retailer.
Atmore mayor Howard Shell said he hasn’t been contacted by Citi Trends, but is pleased that the retailer is coming to town.
According to Anderson, Citi Trends stores on average earn $1.5 million. Should the new retailer hit that mark, it would generate $45,000 in sales tax for the city, $60,000 in sales tax for the state and $15,000 in sales tax for the county.
Aside from clothing, Citi Trends also sells shoes and other footwear, intimate apparel and a small amount of home d/cor items. The Group’s trademarks include Citi Club, Citi Express, Citi Knights, Citi Nite, Citi Steps, Citi Trends Fashion for Less, Citi Women, CT Sport, Diva Blue, Lil Citi Man, Lil Ms Hollywood, Univer Soul, Urban Sophistication and Vintage Harlem.
According to Anderson, the Atmore location will offer customers 10,000 square feet of selling space. In addition, Anderson is optimistic that customers will benefit from the clothing Citi Trends has to offer and will find the store as an asset to the city.
In 2006, Citi Trends ranked No. 7 on the 200 Best Small Companies list as reported by Forbes Magazine.