CD Warehouse, Inc. (405-236-8742) plans to open 15 to 20 franchised stores by the end of the year. The chain, which specializes in selling and trading pre-owned CDs, DVDs and games, operates stores in 35 states.

Nordstrom, Inc. (206-628-2111) plans to open five full-line stores and three Nordstrom Rack locations by the end of the year. The company expects an 8% increase in square footage. Nordstrom operates 136 stores nationwide. Openings for full line stores will occur in Dulles, VA; St. Louis, MO; Coral Gables, FL and Las Vegas, NV.

Factory 2-U (858-627-1800) plans to open five stores by the end of the year. The company operates 256 family apparel stores nationwide.

Benihana, Inc. (305-593-0770) opened restaurants in Houston and Dallas, TX and plans to open restaurants in NY and AZ. Benihana operates 61 restaurants nationwide.

Lowe’s Home Center (336-658-4000) plans to open a store on Randall and Bircher Roads in St. Charles, IL. The 12-acre site is expected to hold 141,533 sq.ft. for a home improvement and garden center. The company operates 18 stores statewide. This is the first Lowe’s store in the Chicago, IL area. The company also plans to open a 135,197 sq.ft. store on a land area of 13.5 acres at the intersection of Oracle and Limberlost Roads in Tucson, AZ. Construction was slated to begin in May and is scheduled for completion during the first quarter of 2003. The store is expected to feature a 42,000 sq.ft. garden center. The company operates 10 stores in AZ, including nine in the Phoenix, AZ area and one in Yuma, AZ. CB Richard Ellis brokered the deal.

Dillard’s, Inc. (501-376-5200) plans to open a 204,000 sq.ft. store in Monroe, OH, which will anchor a 1.1 million sq.ft. center being developed by Taubman Center, Inc., at the southeast corner of Interstate 75 and State Route 63. Opening is expected for Fall 2006. Cotenants will include five department stores and 150 specialty stores. The company operates 337 stores nationwide.

GameWorks (818-254-4100) plans to open a 40,000 sq.ft. location at the Pike at Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, CA by 2003. The company operates 15 entertainment restaurants worldwide.

Target Corp. (612-304-6073) plans to open a 126,000 sq.ft. store at the Hampshire Mall in Hadley, MA. The store, which will replace a former Kmart location, will open by October 2003. The company operates more than 1,000 stores nationwide.

Boscovs Department Store, Inc. (610-779-2000) plans to open a 180,000 sq.ft., two-story store in Westminster, MD in a space formerly occupied by Montgomery Wards. Construction is expected to begin this summer. The company will join anchors Belk and Sears at the TownMall of Westminster located at the intersection of Route 140 and Route 27. The company operates 38 stores throughout five states.

Haverty Furniture Stores, Inc. (404-443-2900) plans to open three stores in northern VA, one in Washington, DC and another in Orlando, FL this summer. Haverty will take over three former Sears HomeLife stores. The company operates 104 stores in 14 southern states.

Wal*Mart Store, Inc. (501-273-8446) plans to open a 150,000 sq.ft. store, with a potential expansion of 75,000 sq.ft. in Shakopee, MN. The site is located across from Southbridge residential development. A 130,000 sq.ft. Sam’s Club will cotenant the site. The company also plans to open a store on a land area of 23.57 acres in Williamsburg, VA during the Fall. Sigma National, Inc. brokered the deal. The company operates 1,622 stores nationwide.

Washington Mutual, Inc. (206-461-2000) plans to open as many as 30 locations throughout the Denver, CO area by the end of the year. The company currently has five home loan offices in CO.

Fleming (972-906-1100) opened a Food4Less store in Mesa, AZ at 1045 South Gilbert Road. The company, which specializes in selling brand-name items at low prices, operates 102 locations nationwide and plans to open two more stores in AZ by the end of the year.

Sears, Roebuck and Co. (847-286-2500) plans to open as many as 15 stores throughout the year.

Staples, Inc. (508-253-8500) plans to open 95 stores in North America and as many as 20 stores throughout Europe in 2003. The company, which opened 117 stores in North America and 19 in Europe this year, also plans to remodel as many as 125 stores. The office supply company operates 1,436 stores in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal.

FuelNation, Inc. (954-587-3775) plans to build a 105,000 sq.ft. travel center on a land area of 45 acres in Davie, FL. The site will include a 24-pump fueling depot, a truck wash, an 11,300 sq.ft. convenience store, a 35,000 sq.ft. mall and 30,000 sq.ft. of office space for a technology center.

Levi Strauss & Co. (415-501-6000) plans to open as many as 20 stores by fiscal year 2003. The company also expects to open 11 Candie’s junior footwear and apparel outlet stores by mid-year in CA, Las Vegas, NV; Miami, FL; NY, New England and Puerto Rico. The company operates stores worldwide and also plans to open its first Ecko outlet store this year.

Party City Corp. (973-983-0888) plans to open as many as eight stores by the end of this year. The company also plans to add as many as 30 stores for the 2003 fiscal year. The company operates over 400 stores nationwide.

Urban Outfitters, Inc. (215-564-2313) plans to open as many as 10 stores by the end of the year. The company operates 49 stores in the U.S., Caribbean and Europe. Already this year, the company has opened two Anthropoligie stores.

Sharper Image Corp. (415-445-6000) plans to increase its store growth by 15% throughout this year. The company opened six stores this year in Houston, TX; Paramus, NJ; Central Valley, NY; Los Gatos, CA and Tucson, AZ, bringing the operating total to 114 units.