April 06--Carson's owner Bon-Ton Stores said Thursday it plans to expand its furniture and mattress business into 24 additional locations.
The expansion will include nine of the retailer's Illinois locations, including Carson's in North Riverside, St. Charles, Joliet, and Bradley; Bergner's in Champaign, Bloomington, Forsyth and Peru; and a Younkers in Moline. The expanded stores will now offer "an assortment" of bedroom, living room, dining room and accent furniture, the company said.
The expansion is part of a strategic plan the retailer is implementing across its store brands, which in addition to its namesake, include the Boston Store, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's and Younkers. Under the leadership of President and CEO Kathryn Bufano, who was hired in 2014, the retailer has recently linked its online business to its brick-and-mortar stores and fine-tuned its offerings to local tastes, company officials said on a recent conference call.
Bon-Ton said last month profits fell 29.5 percent to $57.1 million in the fourth quarter due to unseasonably mild weather. In a belt-tightening move, Bon-Ton also said it would not increase pay for its executives and salaried employees and would cancel this year's matching contributions to employees' 401(k) plans.
Bon-Ton, which operates 267 stores, is headquartered in York, Pa., and Milwaukee.
crshropshire@tribpub.com
