It’s official: Menards plans megastore for Kentucky

Menards, the third largest chain of home improvement stores in the U.S., will open a 200,000-sq.-ft.-plus store in Owensboro, Ky., this spring, according to an article in the Messenger Inquirer. It will be the Eau Claire, Wis.-based retailer’s first store in the state of Kentucky.

A spokesman for the company could not give an exact opening date, but the concrete for the parking lot has already been poured, according to the article. The store will be part of Heartland Crossing, a 67-acre shopping center that includes 16 lots for restaurants, banks, offices and a hotel.

After concerns were expressed over the project from neighbors and local businesses, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet agreed on a new plan that includes major improvements to a nearby highway and access ramps.

Menards now has four distribution centers and operates 263 stores in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.