Updated April 25, 12:10 p.m.–
By Thomas J. Sullivan–
“Let go and have fun!” – That’s the retail motto of Five Below, a trending new national tweens and teens discount retailer hoping to open at the site of the former Dressbarn in the Citrus Town Center this summer, once state social distancing and retail sales restrictions relax.
Construction on the new Citrus Heights store has begun and a sign announcing the intended summer opening is visible to motorists on Greenback Lane near the corner of Sunrise Boulevard.
Dressbarn closed its stores nationwide last year and shuttered its doors for the final time in Citrus Heights in December 2019.
Alyssa Grugan, a public relations representative at Five Below, said the company would not provide details about the planned opening of the new Citrus Heights location at this time.
“[W]e have decided at this time not to speak to (the status of) our new stores as we are still working out the details on our nationwide reopening plan for existing stores,” Grugan said in an email this week. She added that the company “should have a much better idea” by early June.
Five Below sells products that cost up to $5, plus a small assortment of products from $6 to $10. Typical retail items sold include sports, games, fashion accessories, bath and body, candy and beverages, room décor and storage, stationery and school supplies, books, smartphone accessories, novelty and gag items, and seasonal items.
While its retail stores are shuttered in many states due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, customers can browse Five Below’s online store at fivebelow.com and see a general selection of merchandise which the new Citrus Heights store will typically offer.
Five Below Inc., established in 2002, operates 900 stores in 36 states, and employs over 90,000 retail associates, according to its website. The company was founded by David Schlessinger, founder of Encore Books and Zany Brainy and Tom Vellios, Zany Brainy’s chief executive officer.
The retailer is in the middle of an ambitious expansion plan that will see the addition of around 125 new locations in 2020, according to its CEO, Joel Anderson in a recent statement to investors. Scheduled southern California openings in 2020 include Anaheim, Aliso Viejo, San Dimas, Compton, Fontana, Montebello, South Gate, Rancho Cucamonga and Hawthorne.
