Menards is Kansas bound

Menards may add the state of Kansas to its Midwestern empire with a big-box unit there in late 2009, according to published reports. The planning commission in Salina, Kan., a town of 46,000 people approximately 80 miles north of Wichita, have approved a preliminary site development plan for a new Menards store, according to the Salina Journal.

Theron Berg, a Menard’s representative, told the newspaper that the Eau Claire, Wis., retailer could open the store as soon as late 2009. Approximately 40 acres were rezoned from agricultural to commercial use in preparation for the retail development, according to the newspaper.

Menards, the industry’s third largest chain of home improvement stores, has a retail presence in 11 Midwestern states. The privately held company entered Missouri last year with a store in St. Joseph, on the northwestern border with Kansas. Menards is also reportedly planning a store in Manhattan, Kan., a college town of 52,000 people west of Topeka.