Men's store bullish on Gurnee

Despite retail analysts' gloomy projections of declining same-store sales, Men's Warehouse is taking a bullish outlook in Gurnee.

Gurnee village board members Monday night approved construction of a new Men's Warehouse on the west side at Hunt Club Road and Grand Avenue. Men's Warehouse Inc. is projected to build 20 new stores in the United States in the next year or so.

Mayor Kristina Kovarik said she's pleased to add Men's Warehouse to a roster that includes big-box stores, supermarkets and chain restaurants.

"There really hasn't been a nice place for men to buy suits in town," Kovarik said Thursday. "Something we don't have. Imagine that?"

Standard & Poor's projects a 7 percent decline in Men's Warehouse same-store sales. However, in an analyst report released this week, S & P also forecasts more aggressive pricing and promotions for Men's Warehouse's tailored clothing.

Established in 1973, Men's Warehouse has 1,273 stores in North America. Citing a stronger Canadian dollar, the company in March announced the planned shutdown of its Montreal manufacturing facility.

Men's Warehouse will rise on the southwest corner of Grand and Hunt Club. Men's Warehouse will be near Home Depot, which owns the site and had been holding it for extra parking that no longer is necessary, Kovarik said.