Clint Engel — Furniture Today
BISMARCK, N.D. — Conlin’s Furniture has signed an agreement to take over the lease of Roers’ Furniture in


Alexandria, Minn., calling it the next step in Conlin’s strategic growth plan.

Roers’ owner, Roy Roers, plans sell the store’s inventory, close the business and retire, Conlin’s said in a release. It is not disclosing terms of the deal or sales projections.

The 26,000-square-foot showroom will be the 17th for Conlin’s and its first in Minnesota. Its other stores are located in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, and the nearest location to Alexandria is its Fargo, N.D., showroom about 110 miles away, said Joni Olson Vetterkind, merchandise manager.

The Alexandria store will reopen as Conlin’s in late summer and be staffed by existing Roers’ employees who want to stay on with the new operator.

In December, Conlin’s announced plans to expand into new markets to grow its business, but provided few details. It also said it had sold its Rapid City, S.D., location, which closed this month.

“Roers’ family and staff have built up a significant regional business focused on excellent customer service and customer relationships,” said Joe Conlin, Conlin’s CEO. “Our plan is to continue that level of service and leverage our buying power as a chain to bring even more leading brand selections to the area at very attractive prices.”

In the release, Roy Roers said health issues are leading to his early retirement and the store closing.

“After having built the company based on a firm commitment to quality customer service I wanted to find a company with those same values to take excellent care of both our customers and employees,” he said. “I think we have found a good match with Conlin’s Furniture.”

Established in 1937, Conlin’s was listed in the “Furniture stores to watch,” section of Furniture/Today’s Top 100 this past year with estimated 2012 sales of $48 million. Suppliers include