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Renys planning store in Topsham
Thursday, April 14, 2011
By Darcie Moore, Times Record Staff
TOPSHAM - John Reny, president of Renys, confirmed Wednesday that the beloved Maine retail
chain plans to open a Topsham Fair Mall store in time for fall - and that contrary to some
worries, the Bath Renys will not close.
Reny told The Times Record in a phone interview that he hopes the 16th Renys will open in
August in the former Village Candle building, which formerly housed a Bradlee's department
store. The president of the family-run Maine business was in Portland on Wednesday,
putting finishing touches on a new downtown store that opened today.
Opening a Renys in Topsham later this year will mark the first time in his tenure
that Renys has opened two stores during the same year.
In January, Village Candle owner Paul Aldrich told The Times Record that, after
17 years making candles in the region, the company would vacate its manufacturing,
administrative and retail space in Topsham by April 1 and relocate to a new location
in Wells. At that time, Village Candle employed about 61 full-time workers and about
45 temporary workers.
Reny said his business will lease about 32,000 square feet, which he said is roughly
one-third of the space Village Candle occupied. Plans call for the store to open in
August, in time for the fall retail season.
Reny estimated that the company would hire approximately 50 people, with approximately
40 percent of those positions full time, to staff the Topsham store.
"We've had tons and tons of interest from the Lisbon-Lewiston area," Reny said.
The Topsham Fair Mall is right along Route 196 running between the two towns to Topsham,
"so this is getting close."
He's also noted that the mall is a popular stopping place for motorists
heading south on Interstate 295.
A recent flurry of rumors that Renys might open a Topsham store triggered
concerns that the Bath store would close, but Reny said it will remain open.
"We love Bath," he said. "Bath is a great store."
"We're feeling very good," about opening the store in Topsham, Reny said.
"We think we'll be a good fit for the mall and we'll offer something a little
different than the other stores ... We're a Maine adventure, with all kinds of
deals and brand name stuff, and it's always exciting, so we'll do well there, I'm sure."
Reny's father, Robert H. Reny, ignited the Renys phenomenon with a single store
in Damariscotta in 1949. The elder Reny, who died in 2009, never wanted a million
stores and was conservative about growth, his son said, but he knew growth needed to happen.
Reny and his brother have run the company for approximately the last 10 years,
opening a new distribution center in Newcastle and new stores in Wells, Saco
and now Portland. Topsham will be next.
They have remodeled many existing Renys stores and will remodel the Topsham
building before opening. Reny said the Topsham site will be similar to the
newer stores in that, "We always make it interesting. We deal with the hand
we're dealt" instead of making cookie cutter buildings.
In economic times that have hit the retail industry hard, Reny said
opening two stores in 2011 sends a positive message. "It says that we've
waited for the right opportunities," he explained. "There are tons of
opportunities and a lot of real estate very reasonable to rent. Things
are going to turn around. We do well in a good economy and a bad economy."
Is that due to loyalty or prices? Reny said his family business' success
can be traced to a combination of loyalty, good deals, value and quality.
"We strive for value," he said. "Maybe not the cheapest prices, but what
you get is really good for the price, and lasts."
According to a Renys announcement, the Portland store's grand opening,
which started at 9 a.m. today, will feature free giveaways
(while supplies last) and a raffle.
Excerpt From: The Times Record, April 2011
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R.H. Reny, Inc.
731 Route 1
Newcastle, Maine 04553
Phone: (207)563-3177
Fax: (207)563-5681
E-Mail: feedback@renys.com
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