The Supply Side: Retailers plan to add more than 1,100 new stores in 2026

Several U.S. retailers are adding more than 1,118 new store locations in 2026, twice the planned store closures, according to Coresight Research. Deborah Weinswig, CEO of Coresight Research, said 2025 saw 12% more store closures than the prior year.

She said retailers who sell shelf space to other brands and those who offer services for sale and monetize customer data are in a position to grow their physical footprints and their online presence in 2026. She said growth is coming from dollar stores, off-price, specialty and wholesale clubs.

Leading the pack is Dollar General with plans to open 450 new stores this year. CEO Todd Vasos said in the company’s most recent earnings call that the new store pace will be slower this year than in 2025. He said with more than 20,000 store locations open, the company has identified another 11,000 U.S. sites for future Dollar General stores over the next several years.

Vasos pointed to the rapid number of pharmacy closures in 2025 as opportunities for larger health and beauty offerings in the chain’s newer stores and amid the 4,000 retail remodels planned for this year. He said Dollar General will not race to fill all the vacant retail space left by Family Dollar and Rite Aid, but the company will strategically plan to place new stores in underserved, rural areas, tweak store sizes with added coolers for more grocery, and expand health and beauty offerings.

Weinswig said Dollar General and Dollar Tree continue to see strong returns on their brick-and-mortar investments.

Off-price retailer Ollie’s Bargain Outlet is also growing its footprint after taking over some bankrupt Big Lots stores in 2024 and 2025. Based in Pennsylvania, Ollie’s operates 645 stores. The off-price chain opened 85 stores in 2025. Ollie’s CEO Eric van der Valk said in December that the company plans to open 75 new stores in 2026 and grow by 10% annually until it reaches 1,300 stores.

While the discount retailer is smaller in size, Placer.ai reported the chain posted foot traffic increases of 21% during 2025 through the recent holiday season, compared to 2024. Elizabeth Lafontaine, director of research at Placer.ai, said value-based retailers performed well during 2025, and she expects that to continue in 2026. Ollie’s and other off-price retailers like Burlington, TJX, and Ross continue to be a favorite among shoppers of all income brackets, she said.

Burlington continues its aggressive store expansion strategy in 2026 with 110 new store locations, up from 104 new stores opened in 2025. New Jersey-based Burlington said the company plans to take over the leases of shuttered brands, such as Joann Fabrics and Bed Bath & Beyond, aiming for a store count of 2,000 over the next several years.

“Based on our new store pipeline, there is a possibility that we could exceed a stronger pace of new store openings,” CEO Michael O’Sullivan said in a recent earnings call.

The off-price retailer also plans to open a new distribution center later this year in Savannah, Ga., to support the store growth in the southeastern United States.

TJX, the leading off-price retailer operating stores under the T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, and HomeGoods banners, plans to add 130 new stores globally in 2026 with a goal of 7,000 stores at year-end. The company said the new stores will mostly be under the HomeGoods banners in the United States, Canada and Spain. The company has not provided the specific number of new U.S. stores planned for this year, but said it will give more details in the next quarterly call.

It’s not just the off-price bargain retailers investing in brick and mortar this year. Barnes & Noble said it intends to open 60 new stores in 2026. The bookstore giant has been on a comeback since it was acquired by Elliott Management in 2019.

Beauty retailer Ulta plans to add about 66 new store locations this year. The company is also testing smaller-store formats in select markets. And this year, Ulta is ending its partnership with Target in August, which will mean 600 fewer shop locations and requiring more focus on standalone stores. The company operated around 1,450 standalone stores to start 2026, with plans to add another 140 stores over the next two years.

The club segment is also expanding with new locations in 2026. Costco expects to add 28 new clubs this year, with half of those being in the United States. As of Dec. 1, the company operated 921 clubs, adding eight new clubs in late 2025, four in the United States, two in Canada, and two in Europe.

BJ’s Wholesale Club said it plans to open nine new U.S. stores this year on the heels of three club openings in December. With more than 250 clubs in 20 states, BJ’s added 12 new clubs in 2025.

Walmart-owned Sam’s Club is planning to add six new club locations this year. The retailer has pegged the first of those to be in California, Tennessee and Texas. The retailer stopped short of providing a timeline for the openings.

Editor’s note: The Supply Side section of Talk Business & Politics focuses on the companies, organizations, issues and individuals engaged in providing products and services to retailers. The Supply Side is managed by Talk Business & Politics, and is sponsored by HRG.