Ross Dress for Less opening sixth Sonoma County store in Sonoma
The rapidly expanding discount retailer Ross Dress for Less is preparing to open its sixth store in Sonoma County, in Sonoma's Maxwell Village.
The company, known for its selection of discounted clothing and home goods, has for weeks been hiring to fill multiple positions to operate a retail store in the former site of a Rite-Aid store in Sonoma off Highway 12.
Connie Kao, senior vice president of investor relations at the parent company Ross Stores Inc. said a lease has been signed at the location. The store will open July 18, she said.
The retailer already operates stores in Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park and Petaluma.
While the store does not currently appear on a map showing all current open store locations on the company's website, within the last month the company has posted multiple job openings listed for a Sonoma store at the building and on the job search websites Indeed and ZipRecruiter.
The retailer is looking to hire for positions across the board, including retail associate, store manager and assistant store manager. The latter offers compensation of $21.81 to $26.42 per hour, while a store manager could earn $70,310 to $89,014 per year.
The new store would open as the bargain chain, compared to some competitive retailers, looks to grow nationwide.
The company is headquartered in Dublin with more than 1,900 stores open across 44 states and the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico. The company also operates 366 dd's Discounts stores in 23 states.
Ross Stores Inc. in March announced its opening of 17 stores as it looks to expand with about 110 stores across the country, or a 5% growth. It is opening 13 Ross Dress for Less stores and four dd's Discounts stores across 11 states, marketing to shoppers who may be seeking out deals in reaction to inflation and higher prices on clothing and many household products.
Richard Lietz, the company's executive vice president of property development, said in a statement to investors, "Following strong new store performance in 2025, these openings build on that momentum. We expanded Ross Dress for Less in the Mountain, Midwest, and Northeast regions while also strengthening our presence in key Sunbelt states."
The company appears to position itself to grow as discount shopping grows in popularity among shoppers looking to cut costs this year.
Leitz said in his statement, "Looking forward, we remain confident in our long-term growth potential and see a clear path to 2,900 Ross locations and 700 dd's Discounts stores across the country."
Mark Bodenhamer, CEO of Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce, said the new retailer's opening will create new economic opportunities in the shopping center, which he says is "one of the biggest and most important in the city."
He noted that while Sonoma has many local clothing store options, the addition of Ross will offer more economic options for clothing and various household items, while creating multiple new jobs at various levels of pay. He said it could draw new customers to the area as well.
"I think it's a really good addition that will bring a lot to our community," Bodenhamer said.
"It will bring a new group of shoppers to the community as well, from the neighborhoods and further out, so they don't come all the way to the plaza to do their shopping."
Staff Writer Natalie Hanson reports on business and agriculture for The Press Democrat. She can be reached at natalie.hanson@pressdemocrat.com or at 619-665-5887.
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