Marshalls department store is considering expanding into Bloomington-Normal. The store’s parent company has yet to pick a site. (From Marshalls website)

By Howard Packowitz

BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington-Normal is on the verge of landing a Marshalls department store, perhaps as soon as next year, although the location and exact timing of the store’s opening are not known.

Bloomington Economic Development Director Austin Grammer said he’s not had direct contact with Marshalls owner, The TJX Companies. However, Grammer said Marshalls is one of several retailers looking at expanding into Bloomington-Normal.

What’s also unclear is whether the two Twin-City governments will get into a bidding war for Marshalls. Grammer doubts the two communities will try to outbid the other because all of McLean County benefits from the retailer opening shop here.

“If Bloomington or Normal can partner with a shopping center owner to grab that retailer and get (it) to invest in Bloomington-Normal, that’s a win for the entire community,” said Grammer.

He said it’s truly a buyer’s market for retailers because of all the vacancies here and elsewhere across the nation.

“With the amount of vacancies that we have in our market, the number of opportunities and potential locations that a retailer like Marshalls could consider now, increases the odds that the number of retailers that many of our residents have been longing for now have ample opportunity to enter into our market,” Grammer also said.

Marshalls parent company owns TJ Maxx and HomeGoods, which have Twin-City stores.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]