WAUKESHA, Wis. — Top 100 retailer Steinhafels’ expansion into the Chicago market continues today as it opened its newest store in Harwood Heights.
The Waukesha, Wis.-based retailer is also nearing the opening of its distribution center in Bolingbrook, which will serve Steinhafels’ current Chicago stores and future showrooms.
The 60,000-square-foot Harwood Heights store is located in a former Art Van Furniture showroom that was built just a few years ago. President Andrew Steinhafel said the facility basically needed a few changes around the edges before it was ready to go.
“The store is a beautiful brand-new store, and we were able to come in and make cosmetic changes and updates to better match our experience,” Steinhafel told Furniture Today. “The footprint works really well for us; 60,000 square feet in that market will showcase the best of what we do with best sellers and best price points.”
The store’s footprint is smaller than any of Steinhafels’ three other stores in the Chicago market, but it’s a lot closer to the downtown area, meaning the company can customize its assortment to appeal to more urban customers.
“We’re focused on smaller space solutions that will work well for apartment and condo living there,” Steinhafel said.
Also opening this fall will be Steinhafels’ new Bolingbrook Distribution center, located at 999 Belle Lane. This distribution center will be a modern, 110,000-square-foot facility that will be the launch point for its Chicagoland delivery stops, providing enhanced speed and availability to delivery service.
“Currently we’re servicing the entire Chicago market from our Waukesha facility,” said Steinhafel. “It will be more operationally efficient for us to be able to service the market (from Bolingbrook). It’s better optimization for us from a cost standpoint to have this location. For our customers, it will mean quicker delivery dates and more options.
The distribution center will also serve Steinhafels’ next two Chicago-area stores, Orland Park and Schaumburg, which are on the horizon.
“Having Bolingbrook, the geographic location is fantastic to penetrate the entire Chicago market from the southern side in Orland Park to the northern part of Chicago,” Steinhafel said.
It also opens the door for future growth, as Steinhafel said the company sees the Chicago market as a great opportunity. “The biggest thing for us is it’s such a large market that we feel is underserved in what we do best, which is a broad middle price point and broad middle consumer area,” he said. “That’s the opportunity for us. It’s such a large market and geographically, it’s so close to our home base in Milwaukee. For us, it’s a natural extension.”