Growth Mode: Off-price Retailers

In Houston, Ross Stores and Burlington kicked off 2025 with big expansion plans as the discount retailers continue to grow their footprints across the U.S.

Ross Stores reported the opening of 16 Ross Dress for Less and three dd’s Discounts stores across 14 states in March. They contributed toward a planned 90 new stores in fiscal 2025 for the Dublin, Calif.-based chain.

Texas to See dd’d Discounts

“This Spring, we continued to expand the store base of both Ross and dd’s. Specifically for Ross, we expanded our presence in the newer markets of Connecticut, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York, while dd’s growth primarily focused on existing markets of California, Georgia, and Texas,” said Richard Lietz, Executive Vice President, Property Development. “We now operate a total of 2,205 Ross Dress for Less and dd’s Discounts locations across 44 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam.”

New Ross Dress for Less stores average 27,000 SF, while new dd’s Discount stores, featuring lower price merchandise, average 22,000 SF, as stated by Ross Stores.

Burlington Adds Houston Locations

Burlington, a smaller but growing retailer based in Burlington, N.J., will soon open two Houston stores as part of the off-price retailer’s strategy to grow by about 100 stores in 2025. Burlington has over 1,100 stores in the U.S. including more than 120 in Texas

The discount chain reported its next locations will open at 7639 Westheimer (March 14) followed by 10787 Jones Road in Steeplechase Center in northwest Houston near the end of March. The locations previously housed 99 Cents Only stores.

The company, which has scaled down its new stores to a target range of 18,000 to 30,000 SF, has also filled in spaces vacated by Conn’s, Big Lots and Bed Bath & Beyond. The merchandise mix includes apparel, footwear, accessories, home goods, toys and gifts at prices up to 60% off.

Next up, Burlington plans to convert a former Big Lots at 8210 Kirby near NRG Park, a former Staples at the Shops at Stone Park at Wallisville Road and Beltway 8 in east Houston, and a store in Texas City at 3405 Palmer Highway, as stated by filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation

TJ MAXX and More

Another large company in the discount category is also growing.

TJX, a global off-price apparel and home fashions retailer, added 131 stores across its brands for a total of 5,085 stores for the latest fiscal year, as stated by company reports. The Framingham, Mass.-based company operates 1,333 TJ Maxx, 1,230 Marshalls and 943 HomeGoods stores, among other brands.