Lake District-The sign in front of the Merchants Walk shopping plaza may still bear the name of Stein Mart, but it will soon be replaced by the names of two new stores.  

On Monday, as part of the renovation, a construction worker was climbing the scaffolding outside the former Stein Market and building Burlington and five floors.  

Publix: GreenWise products and stores increase Publix's sustainable options

... Contrast with Kroger: Kroger is now shipping groceries across Florida. What should Publix know and what should be worried about?

According to the KIMCO Realty Corp. website, a 25,191 square foot Burlington will occupy the shopping plaza, and a 9,575 square foot five will move into the next door. KIMCO's website only shows the other three stores in Merchants Walk that are larger than Burlington, including major retail tenants: Hobby Lobby, Marshalls and Ross Dress For Less.

According to the website, Merchants Walk has a total of 13,375 square feet of usable space in four different locations throughout the square.  

In a recent interview with the Herald Tribune, Todd Abrams, vice president of the Tampa-based Burlington Stores Florida region, stated that the New Jersey discount clothing and accessories chain plans to open in Florida this fall 9 new stores.  

Other news: Florida's annual agricultural report shows that Mexican imports continue to hurt Polk agricultural farmers

The total number of stores that will open in the fall includes stores in Naples, Tampa, Port St. Lucie, Kissimmee, Pompano, Miami, Sebring and Aventura. A store was opened in Sarasota this summer as part of the retailer’s larger statewide expansion. 

The Burlington (formerly Burlington Coat Factory) headquartered in New Jersey stopped store operations during the worst period of the initial surge of Covid-19, but has since turned on the lights of its stores.  

A recent report by the Motley Fool stated that low-priced retailer Burlington achieved double-digit sales growth after the first wave of pandemic, adding that only soaring freight and supply chain costs would hurt the company’s profitability. .  

Also: VidaCann opens a medical marijuana store in Lakeland on Saturday

According to the report, in the first quarter of fiscal 2021, same-store sales increased by 20% compared to fiscal 2019. Including the benefits of opening a store for two years, total sales increased by 35%. Sales of other low-priced retailers such as TJ Maxx and Ross have increased.  

In response to the coronavirus, Philadelphia-based Five Above, Inc. also closed its 900 stores in 36 states in March 2020. According to Joel Anderson, chief executive of the Philadelphia Business Journal, the following five companies operate e-commerce businesses, but most of their sales come from their physical stores.

Citrus Industry News: Citrus consultant Elizabeth Steger predicts that Florida citrus production will fall by 1.5%

Burlington has two other locations in Polk County, including Lakeland Square Mall and the Davenport location.

The new store in Burlington will open in the spring of 2022.

"In addition to providing new job opportunities for the Lakeland community, Burlington is pleased to provide local residents with a variety of branded products suitable for the whole family and family," Burlington spokesperson Nicole DiTolla (Nicole DiTolla) ) Say. 

Wuxia also has stores in Lakeland Park and Davenport, and the other is on the county line in Plant City.  

Lakeland’s records show that less than five general contractors are Cosugas, LLC. The Lakeland building permit was issued in June to renovate existing buildings and expires in February 2022.

Paul Nutcher covers business and industry for The Ledger. You can contact him at pnutcher@gannett.com.