Price Cutter Express opens with new stores to follow

Price Cutter announced yesterday plans to replace existing stores with two of the Dillons locations the company agreed to purchase late last year.

After putting up signage earlier this month, the Price Cutter Express fuel center at the St. Louis Street and National Avenue store opened today. Two former Dillons are currently being remodeled with plans to open to the public within 30 days. Both new stores also would contain Starbucks locations, according to a news release.

The 56,000-square-foot former Dillons at 1260 St. Louis St. will replace Price Cutter’s 40,000-square-foot store at 1730 S. Campbell Ave. The 1831 W. Kearney St. Dillons, which sits at 54,000 square feet, will take over for an existing 20,000-square-foot Price Cutter at 717 W. Commercial St. Employees at the existing stores will move to the new locations, and the company also plans to hire additional workers, the release said.

“The recent acquisition of the Dillons properties allows us to reposition two of our older and smaller stores to more spacious locations to better serve our community of Springfield,” Price Cutter President and CEO Erick Taylor said in the release. “By moving into larger locations, we are able to enhance our departments and offer more variety and services.

“With the growth of the company, we are able to negotiate better pricing for all our locations.”

Taylor and Price Cutter Executive Director of Real Estate Planning and Development Rob Marsh were unavailable for comment by deadline.

The company has not announced its plans for the 1707 W. Battlefield Road and 2843 E. Sunshine St. Dillons stores it acquired when the Kansas-based supermarket chain made the decision to leave the market. The four Dillons stores in Springfield closed last month.