Workers busy at Belk and Proffitt's combining operations

BY JOE GERAGHTY
BRISTOL HERALD COURIER

BRISTOL, Va. – The aisles at two Bristol Mall department stores were crowded this week – not with shoppers but with movers.

As the Belk and Proffitt’s stores combined their operations, workers clad in bright orange shirts carted goods from one end of the mall to another, leaving shoppers to wonder where their favorite merchandise had gone.

The move resulted in confusion, but the end result will make it all worthwhile, said Belk spokesman John Hering.

Belk finalized the purchase of all Proffitt’s stores from Saks in July and has been working to convert Proffitt’s locations into Belk stores since then, he said.

In Bristol, where both stores already shared the same mall, Belk saw an opportunity to expand.

Before the merger, Belk occupied 83,000 square feet of the mall, while Proffitt’s took up 59,000. With the two stores combined, Belk will have more than 140,000 square feet of sales space.

That puts the Bristol store in line with the retailers’ stores across the state line in Johnson City and Kingsport. The Belk stores in both those cities formerly operated as Proffitt’s.

At the time the merger was announced, Belk employed about 70 people in Bristol and Proffitt’s about 125.

The combination of Proffitt’s and Belk has not resulted in any job losses in Bristol, Hering said. Although both stores have the same owner now, Hering said he expects the combined operation to do as much business as Proffitt’s and Belk did separately.

That would mean the same number of employees would be needed, he said.

Belk plans to invest about $2.3 million to renovate the former Proffitt’s store and make minor changes to the Belk store. The former Proffitt’s store will house men’s and children’s clothing as well as household goods, Hering said.

The Belk store will be devoted exclusively to women’s apparel, he said.

With the added space, Belk will be able to expand its selection, Hering said. Belk and Proffitt’s had significant overlap in the types of products they sold, so shoppers who relied on Proffitt’s should have no trouble finding what they need in the new Belk store, he said.

The renovation work should be complete in time for a grand reopening in the spring, Hering said.