Shopko to revive 20 closed Alco stores, including three in Kansas

Wisconsin-based big box retailer Shopko said it plans to open 20 new Shopko Hometown stores — including three in Kansas — in former Alco stores.

The Green Bay retailer said in a news release it has acquired the rights to occupy former Alco stores in nine states.

Last November, Alco closed all 198 stores it had, including 23 in Kansas, after the beleaguered retailer’s creditors won approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Dallas to shutter the stores.

In its release this week, Shopko said grand openings are planned for the new stores in late March, including in Abilene, Beloit and Ulysses.

Shopko said it will add new interior and exterior signs to the stores, as well as new paint, carpet, layout and an expanded mix of merchandise.

The stores will carry brand-name and private label apparel, home furnishings, toys, consumer electronics, seasonal items, grocery department and lawn and garden products.

Shopko operates 178 Hometown stores and 133 big-box stores in 21 states.

Shopko previously operated big box stores at 2057 N. Rock and 350 S. Tracy in Wichita, but closed them in 2001.

Alco was an Abilene-based company until it moved its headquarters to Texas in 2013.

This story was originally published March 3, 2015 at 11:21 AM with the headline "Shopko to revive 20 closed Alco stores, including three in Kansas."