Belk unveils new, upgraded stores

Belk, Inc. is opening new and renovated stores in three communities around Charlotte on Wednesday, the latest in its program of updating stores.

The Belk store at the Galleria Mall in Rock Hill has gotten a face lift, and now totals 100,000 square feet. The company is also opening two new Belk stores, one in the Morganton Heights shopping center in Morganton and one at the Wallace Commons shopping center in Salisbury.

The company said the renovated Rock Hill store will carry a wider assortment of apparel, shoes, home goods and accessories.

Here are some stats about the stores:

• The Salisbury store is 75,000 square feet, and Belk said it cost $7 million. It replaces the former store at the Salisbury Mall, which had been open since 1986.
• The Morganton store is 66,000 square feet, and cost Belk $6.5 million. Belk said it is 16,000 square feet bigger than the Belk store it replaces at Fiddler's Run, which had been open since 1999.
• The Rock Hill store has been expanded by 20,000 square feet, Belk said. That means some departments, such as shoes, have doubled in size. The project cost Belk $5.5 million.

Belk managers at all three stores issued identical statements Wednesday.

“This is a great day for Belk and Morganton/Salisbury/Rock Hill," they said. "It represents the latest and best that Belk has to offer and was designed, built and merchandised especially for the Morganton market. We invite everyone to come visit our store and see the wide selections of top fashion brands and styles that we offer in a shopping environment created for the ultimate in customer service, convenience and enjoyment. We’re committed to offering the best in Modern.Southern.Style. and continuing our reputation as the department store of choice in Morganton."

In Charlotte and Pineville, Belk has already renovated its flagship SouthPark store and the store in Carolina Place mall. The SouthPark mall was one of the company's most extensive, costing $2.3 million.

The Charlotte-based company is the largest privately-held department store chain the U.S., operating 301 stores in 16 states.