Clint Engel
MANCHESTER, Conn. — Bob’s Discount Furniture will open its first Rhode Island store and third New Jersey


showroom next week, a move it promises is just the beginning of an aggressive expansion plan.

The Top 100 company will open 35,000-square-foot showrooms in Warwick, R.I., and Woodbridge, N.J., next Thursday, pushing its store count to 24.

“We have been looking for a while now for the right location and the best time to enter the Rhode Island market and the shopping-friendly areas of Woodbridge,” said Bob Kaufman, president of the Manchester, Conn.-based chain. “We believe we have found it as we open both locations next week and look forward to serving the people with the best furniture values in the region.”

He noted that the Warwick store is close to Bob’s Norwich, Conn., distribution centers, while New Jersey continues to be a good market for the retailer.

He wouldn’t identify other locations coming, but said he’s happy with the company’s prospects. “We have an exciting program going and a lot of stores opening before the first of the year. These two are only the tip of the iceberg,” he said.

The promotional to midpriced stores will include Bob’s signature cafes with free gourmet coffee, fresh baked cookies and candy. Opening events will include store visits by Kaufman and Bob’s other TV personality, Cathy Poulin, and giveaways of t-shirts, mugs, music and other prizes.

Bob’s opened its first New Jersey store a year ago in Totowa and added a second store earlier this year in Paramus.

Bob’s is No. 32 on Furniture/Today’s Top 100 with $279.5 million in estimated furniture, bedding and accessories sale in 2012, up 8.3% form the year before. The company has stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Jersey and New Hampshire.