Thursday, Nov. 05, 2009

Rural King farm store coming to metro-east

COLLINSVILLE -- Farm equipment and supply retailer Rural King will open a new store in the metro-east.

Tim Johnston of Johnson Properties in Fairview Heights said Rural King has closed on the sale of the 104,000-square-foot vacant store at 9525 Collinsville Road in Collinsville. Located next to the Shop 'n Save grocery store, the space had been home to Value City Department Store, which closed earlier last year, and had housed Grandpa Pigeon's prior to that.

Rural King human resources director Tim Lodes said that the new store could open by the spring and will provide between 55 and 70 new jobs.

"I think we've always looked to the metro-east area, and particularly Collinsville and Edwardsville, and we just wanted to move west," Lodes said. "We think it's a market we want to be in, and we're excited to get into."

Paul Mann, Collinsville's community development director, said Rural King is applying for land use and zoning permits so the business can have outdoor storage and new signage. Mann said the farm supply store was attracted to the property's proximity to Interstate 255.

"We felt this was a perfect fit for that particular location," Mann said. "Being that close to and with accessibility from the highway, I think it might be one of the best sites for that store, without a doubt. A lot of people are excited about it."

The new store will have some competition. In August, Tractor Supply Co. announced it was building a new store on Illinois 15 in Belleville next to Fischer Lumber and east of Eckert's Orchards. The new farm and tractor supply store is expected to be open by the spring.

Frank Fawcett, the project manager with Charlotte, N.C.-based Primax Properties who is overseeing the development, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Brentwood, Tenn.-based Tractor Supply is the largest retail farm and ranch store chain in the country. In more than 70 years, the chain has grown to more than 850 stores in 44 states in outlying major metropolitan markets and in rural communities. Tractor Supply also has stores in Alton and across the Mississippi River in Union, Mo. and Troy, Mo.

Rural King was founded in Mattoon in 1960. The chain of stores includes one in Waterloo and has grown to 43 others in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and Michigan. There is a family-owned Rural King in Highland.

Mann said he believes the new store will help bring new retail and revive that area of town.

"It is my hope that in this area that store will help spark services and be an anchor to attract others and be a catalyst for other development along that corridor, which has seen more prosperous days," Mann said. "This is a perfect retail use for that location."