Acadiana Business

Designer Shoe Warehouse, Petco coming to Settlers

by Leslie Turk

Houston-based company developing site for Whole Foods is bringing DSW and Petco to same corridor. The Ainbinder Company, which is developing a 95,000-square-foot center at Settlers Trace and Ambassador Caffery Parkway that includes a Whole Foods scheduled to open late next year, has hopped across Ambassador and is adding a Designer Shoe Warehouse and Petco to the retail mix in this corridor.

The new structure is under construction at 605 Settlers Trace Blvd. next to ULTA (across Settlers from Academy Sports). The addition of Petco and Designer Shoe Warehouse, more commonly known as DSW, are part of Crossroads Annex, which will complete development of that strip to Settlers Trace, according to city records. About 31,000 square feet are being added, 12,700 for Petco and 18,000 for DSW.

Based in Columbus, Ohio, and founded in 1969, DSW Inc. sells brand name and designer dress, casual and athletic footwear and accessories for men, women and children. As of March 19, it was operating 364 stores in 41 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, as well as 346 leased departments for other retailers in the U.S. under the Affiliated Business Group. It also operates an e-commerce site, http://www.dsw.com, and a mobile site, http://m.dsw.com.

According to company information online, stores average approximately 22,000 square feet and carry about 24,000 pairs of shoes. The company trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol DSW.

Founded in 1965, Petco is a chain of retail stores headquartered in San Diego, Calif., that sells pet supplies and services, as well as live animals. The company is privately held and has more than 1,150 stores nationwide, including more than 30 Unleashed by Petco locations.