By Tim Tresslar Dayton Daily News
MIAMI TWP., Montgomery County - A national chain of discount priced shoe stores plans to open its first Miami Valley location in the Dayton Mall this summer.
DSW Shoe Warehouse will open a 20,000-square-foot store in the mall in July, said Mike Levison, the company's director of advertising. The store will bring with it 55 full- and part-time jobs.
The chain focuses on dress, fashion and casual shoes, but also carries athletic shoes. The company doesn't carry children's shoes. Levison declined to name the brands the store carries, but said DSW carries the same brands found in department and specialty stores.
The company selected Dayton Mall because it is frequented by DSW's primary target customers, professional women and men. Women make up more than two-thirds of the company's customer base, he said.
Customers have been asking the mall to add a bigger selection of shoes, General Manager Michael W. Minns said.
"Our shoppers indicated in our most recent market research that they wanted to see more shoes at Dayton Mall," he said. "DSW Shoe Warehouse will give shoppers a large selection of branded footwear at value prices."
DSW officials said the company prices its shoes between 20 percent and 50 percent below department store retail prices, but sells first-quality shoes and not irregulars.
Columbus-based DSW is a subsidiary of Value City Department Stores Inc. The shoe operation accounted for nearly 14 percent of the parent company's $1.6 billion in sales during the most recent fiscal year, according to Value City's annual report.
DSW operates 60 stores in 35 markets nationwide, including stores in Cincinnati, Columbus and Indianapolis. Including Dayton, Levison said the company plans to add 20 stores this year. The company typically opens stores that measure 24,000-square-feet with about 90 percent of the floor space dedicated to selling.
DSW has no plans to add more stores in Dayton, Levison said.
* Contact Tim Tresslar at 225-7404 or e-mail him at tim_tresslar@coxohio.com
[ILLUSTRATION] PHOTO: THE 20,000-SQUARE-FOOT SHOE STORE will provide 55 full- and part-time jobs.
DSW SHOE WAREHOUSE
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