Atlanta Gets Its First New Department Store in 8 Years

The Von Maur department store chain is set to enter the Atlanta market late next year.  The family owned 25 store Davenport, Iowa chain is set to open it's first Georgia location in November 2011 at North Point Mall in Alpharetta. They will take over the space vacated by Belk in August 2009.  Van Maur plans to gut and renovate the location in addition to expanding it from 115,000 to 140,000 square feet.

The company's 25 stores are primarily located in the Midwest market.  Their closest location to Atlanta is a store in Louisville, KY.  The North Point Mall location will be flagship store for the South.

The Atlanta retail scene has not seen a new department store brand since late 2003 when Bloomingdale's entered the market with stores at Lenox Square and Perimeter Malls.  They took over former Macy's locations in the two malls after the Rich's stores there were merged with the Macy's brand.