Construction underway at Delaware's third Ross Dress for Less, located near the Christiana Hospital

Brandon Holveck
Delaware News Journal

Ross Dress for Less is slated to join the Center Pointe Plaza off Churchmans Road near the Christiana Hospital in Stanton.

The discount retailer will be in the space occupied by Babies R Us, according to New Castle County permits. The store has been vacant since late 2018.

A renovation project on the building recently began. Ross' permit calls for a new roof; new storefront doors and windows; and a demising wall, which indicates the space will be shared by at least one other business.

The future site of a Ross discount clothing store under construction at Center Pointe Plaza near the Christiana Hospital.

Babies R Us occupied about 40,000 square feet of the strip center beginning in 1997. Home Depot has long anchored the shopping center, which includes stores and restaurants like T.J. Maxx, Old Country Buffett and Miller's Ale House. 

A Ross spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. There is no timetable for the store's opening.

With around 1,500 stores in 37 states, Ross claims to be the nation's largest off-price retail chain. The company says it leverages the buying power that comes along with its size to provide steep customer discounts. Ross follows a "no-frills" approach — its stores don't have window displays, mannequins or decorations. 

After opening 19 stores in February and March, the company announced plans to build 75 new Ross stores in 2020 on March 9. It's unclear whether the plan will be adjusted. 

The future site of a Ross discount clothing store under construction at Center Pointe Plaza near the Christiana Hospital.

On March 26, Reuters reported that Ross told vendors it would cancel all merchandise purchase orders through June 18 due to the coronavirus pandemic's impact on business.

Ross has temporarily closed all of its stores in response to the pandemic. Much of the shopping center the company is slated to join has been dark, too, as the state has shut down most retailers for roughly three weeks.

Modell's Sporting Goods at Center Pointe Plaza near the Christiana Hospital.

The new location will be two storefronts down from fellow discount retailer T.J. Maxx. Between the stores is the shuttered Modell's Sporting Goods, which announced a permanent companywide shut down at the beginning of March.

There are currently two Ross locations in Delaware: off U.S. Route 13 near New Castle and off U.S. Route 13 in Dover.

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Contact Brandon Holveck at bholveck@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @holveck_brandon.