Discount retailer Ocean State Job Lot says it’s signed a long-term lease to occupy the 40,000-square-foot former Kmart store in Vernon.
The Rhode Island-based company, which has 27 locations in Connecticut, and 139 across the Northeast, on Tuesday said it agreed to lease terms with landlord CE Vernon II LLC of Fairfield. It plans to open at the location, 295 Hartford Turnpike, by year-end with up to 50 full- and part-time workers.
Established in the late 1970s, Ocean State Job Lot is known for selling discounted household goods, apparel, pet supplies, kitchen and seasonal products, among other items. It currently has about 5,600 employees and generates annual sales of approximately $725 million, officials say.
Paul Cox, director of store operations for Ocean State Job Lot, in a statement said the store’s “large footprint provides an enhanced in-store customer experience and will allow us to offer our customers a fantastic overall shopping experience.”
Ocean State Job Lot’s entry in Vernon comes a year after Sears Holdings began to shutter another batch of its unprofitable stores, including the Kmart store in Vernon, as it continued liquidation sales last year.
Vernon last month also welcomed a ShopRite, which opened at the former Price Chopper space at 35 Talcottville Road.
