Eight of the new stores will be located in Ohio.
“Ohio, right now, is our growth state,” said Rob Patterson, Rural King’s vice president of operations.
The company opened a store two weeks ago in Lebanon. It also has stores in Huber Heights, Hamilton, Gallipolis and St. Clairsville.
On Tuesday, Rural King opened its newest store front, an estimated 91,000 square feet, in the West Park Square Shopping Center in the building that was used by Walmart before it moved.
“We’re excited about it,” said Steve Brodsky, the Xenia development director. “It fills a need in the community. We are surrounded by a rural area, so it helps bring more folks from the surrounding area to the community.”
Brodsky said it was nice to see the old Walmart building, which sat vacant for five years, being used again. There was interest in the location before the recession hit, but it waned with the onset of a tough economic climate.
Now, Rural King is one of three new tenants to move into the shopping center within the last six months, Brodsky said.
“We’re encouraged to see retail establishments like Rural King setting up a location in Xenia,” said David Kell, the Greene County Department of Development director. “Agriculture is still an important industry in Greene County and this establishment will help support that industry.”
About the Author