Two Southwest Michigan communities are the latest locations for the new retailer
Five Below Inc.
The stores that feature merchandise for teens and pre-teens for $5 and less will be at Maple Hill Mall, at 5210 West Main St., Kalamazoo, and Fairplain Plaza, at 970 E. Napier Ave., Benton Harbor. Both stores are expected to have about 15 employees.
Five Below will kick off opening weekend on Friday and Saturday with 5-cent hot dogs and a number of other contests. To celebrate the grand openings, each new Five Below location will give away a free Five Below T-shirt with any purchase to the first 300 customers who visit the store Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, April 12 -14. One customer will win a $100 shopping spree.
The stores in Southwest Michigan are two of six the company will open April 12. Five Below currently has 18 Michigan locations. The company says the decision to add new locations is based on previously successful openings in Michigan and strategic real estate opportunities.
By opening these six stores, Tom Vellios, CEO and co-founder of Five Below, says the company will create new opportunities for local Michigan communities to find a "dynamic assortment of tech, fashion, beauty, crafts, and seasonal must-haves, all priced at $1 to $5."
"Our Michigan customers have voted, and they’ve shown tremendous enthusiasm for Five Below’s brand-name, trend-right merchandise for teens, pre-teens, and shoppers of all ages," says Vellios.
Five Below operates in 19 states. The company's plan to open up to 60 new stores in 2013 will bring the number of locations to approximately 300.
Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media
Source: Denise DiMeglio, for Five Below
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