Ross, Dollar General, Costco, and More Are Opening 100s of New Stores This Year

These days, most of the news coming out of the retail sector can feel pretty grim. The industry is facing painful changes, with stores shutting down locations as they try to regain their footing. But even amid the turmoil, some operators are faring better than others—and even expanding their brick-and-mortar footprint as a result. From Ross Dress for Less and Dollar General to Costco and BJ’s and more, here are the retailers that will be opening hundreds of new stores this year.

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No matter how you look at it, it’s been a big year for BJ’s. The warehouse retailer posted impressive numbers to close out its fiscal year, driven in part by the opening of 14 new stores in 2025, The Wall Street Journal reports. But despite some concerns of ballooning expenses, the store says it is still on track to cut the ribbon on 30 new locations by the end of 2026.

“As we look out at the new club pipeline, we would expect this pace of openings to continue over the coming years,” BJ’s CEO Bob Eddy said during a recent earnings call with analysts.

Despite an unexpected controversy at the hands of a Sydney Sweeney ad campaign last year, American Eagle appears to be soaring high—at least when it comes to its offshoot brands, Aerie and Offline. In a recent earnings call, corporate leadership said it had plans to open between 35 and 40 new locations of the two stores, Chain Store Age reports.

“We enter 2026 from a position of strength with the goal of building on this year’s successes,” American Eagle CEO Jay Schottenstein said during the call. “The first quarter is off to a positive start, and we remain focused on investing in our brands and driving additional corporate savings and efficiency across the business.”

However, not everything within the company is ascendant: At the same time, the company said it planned to shutter 25 to 30 slower-performing American Eagle locations, per Chain Store Age.

Sure, Ross might be about dressing for less, but this year it appears the retailer is all about more—at least when it comes to locations. The retailer kicked off 2026 with a hot streak, opening 13 stores (as well as four of its offshoot DD’s) across 11 states. And that’s just the start: The company says this puts it on pace to open the 85 new Ross locations it had planned by the end of the year.

Fans of Princess Polly, prepare to celebrate: The uber-popular Australian-founded clothing retailer is pushing further into the U.S. market. Executives with the company recently announced they had signed leases for eight new locations stateside, including the first stores that will open in Texas and Minnesota, Chain Store Age reports. The expansion will bring the total U.S. store count to 21.

Stores expected to open in the second half of this year include the Galleria in Houston, Texas; Stonebriar Centre in Frisco, Texas; the Mall at Millenia in Orlando, Florida; and Southdale Center in Edina, Minnesota. The first half of next year will see new locations in Jacksonville, Florida; the Mall at Green Hills in Nashville, Tennessee; St. Johns Town Center in Boca Raton, Florida; and the SouthPark Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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With roughly 21,000 locations across the U.S., there’s a decent chance you already have a Dollar General location (or one of its sister brands, such as DGX, DG Market, or pOpshelf) in your area. But in an earnings call at the end of last year, the company’s top brass said it was focusing its latest wave of store openings in sparsely populated areas around the country, Retail Touch Points reports.

“Looking ahead to 2026, we are uniquely positioned to serve an underserved customer in rural America, where approximately 80 percent of our current store base serves towns of 20,000 or fewer people,” Todd Vasos, CEO and director of Dollar General, said during a call discussing the company’s most recent quarterly financial results on Dec. 4.

Despite citing the types of areas they were targeting, the company didn’t specify exactly where new locations would be opening. However, they did say they planned to have all 450 of the new stores up and running by January 2027.

Get ready for more affordable grocery options! In a Jan. 12 press release, Aldi said it was hitting the gas on its U.S. expansion plans. The company says it will cut the ribbon on 180 new locations before the end of 2026, bringing the chain to a total of 2,800 stores nationwide.

While an exact list of new stores wasn’t specified, the company did outline a few notable regions they’d be focusing on. They include Maine, marking its first location in the state; Colorado, with plans to open more than 50 stores there by 2028; Phoenix, which will see 10 new stores this year; and Las Vegas.

The chain also said it would continue expansion in the Southeast following its acquisition of Southeastern Grocers two years ago, citing plans to convert more than 200 locations to Aldi stores by the end of next year.

Aldi also said it planned to grow beyond this year, aiming to bring its total domestic store count to more than 3,200 by the end of 2028.

Sometimes, one retailer’s loss can be another’s gain. At least that was the case for discount retailer Big Lots, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year. But instead of the former stores sitting vacant (or becoming a Spirit Halloween store), Ollie’s Bargain Outlet seized the moment and took over 63 of the locations to make their own.

“Everything about these stores lines up well with our business and growth strategy,” Eric van der Valk, CEO of Ollie’s, said in a press release last year. “These locations are the right size, come with favorable lease terms, are located in existing and adjacent trade areas, and have long serviced value conscious consumers.”

Out of all the brick-and-mortar businesses out there, bookstores have long felt like one of the most vulnerable to technology and changes in shopping. Even industry icon Barnes & Noble was facing a grim reality at the end of the last decade after reporting a $125.5 million loss in 2019, per Forbes. But under the tutelage of CEO James Daunt, the store now appears to have turned the page on many of its problems—and is continuing to expand.

After opening more than 60 stores in 2025, the company has plans to open just as many this year, per Forbes. Management has found success in leaning into the personal experience behind picking up a hard copy, including letting local stores choose their layouts and inventory in the same style as independent bookstores.

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While it might be tough for traditional department stores out there right now (just ask Macy’s), the same can’t be said for some of their discount offshoots like Nordstrom Rack. The retailer says it will open at least 23 stores across 15 states this year, and has plans to open even more in the near future, Chain Store Age reports.

Over the last decade, UNIQLO has become a go-to for reliably affordable fashion in the market. But apparently, the company isn’t done growing yet: In a Jan. 22 press release, the retailer announced it would be opening 15 new stores in 2026. This includes new flagship stores in Chicago and San Francisco, four new stores in New York City, and the first locations for Austin and Miami.

On top of typical services, some of the new stores will feature the UTme! customizable t-shirt and tote bag service, as well as RE.UNIQLO Studio, which offers repairs and embroidery services.

As if Costco fans needed another reason to swing by their local warehouse, it now appears there will be more locations to choose from. The wholesale retailer that it plans to expand its footprint with a net of 28 new stores by the end of this fiscal year, Chain Store Age reports. In the “coming years,” it also expects to open roughly 30 warehouses or more annually, adding to the 924 stores it currently operates globally and 634 across the U.S.