NEW YORK, March 5 (Reuters) - Opening new stores is back

in style - at some U.S. retail chains.

Executives at several major retailers in recent weeks have

touted the chains' efforts to gain market share by adding new

locations. Target ( TGT ), for instance, is adding 300, Walmart ( WMT )

, 150; Sam's Club, 30; Bloomingdale's, 15 and Bluemercury

at least 30.

This new expansion marks a major change in strategy

following years of store closures and warnings of a "retail

apocalypse" caused by the rapid growth of online shopping,

particularly during the pandemic.

Shoppers have continued to visit stores, even if just to

pick up their online orders or have a Starbucks coffee. This has

occurred even as some famous retail names have filed for

bankruptcy protection, from J.C. Penney to Lord & Taylor to Bed

Bath & Beyond.

Walmart ( WMT ) and Target ( TGT ) have hailed consumers' fondness for store

pickup and delivery services for driving visits and sales in

their most recent results. Walmart ( WMT ) said online order pickup and

delivery offerings helped drive its traffic up 4%. Target ( TGT ) said

"Drive-up" was popular in recouping about 240 basis points of

traffic in the holiday quarter versus the prior quarter.

Target ( TGT ) said on Tuesday that it would open more than 300

predominantly full-size stores over the next decade, for

instance. The Minneapolis-based chain plans to add more sections

for food in the new stores, after generating $8 billion in

additional sales from that category since 2019. Once developed,

the new Target ( TGT ) stores are expected to boost sales by $15 billion

annually.

It also intends to remodel nearly 2,000 existing stores. The

remodels will range from full-scale renovations to less dramatic

upgrades, adding new light fixtures, Ulta Beauty ( ULTA ) areas

within the Target ( TGT ) stores, and building out backrooms to fulfill

online orders through Target's ( TGT ) same-day delivery service.

The addition of big stores, most to be larger than the

chain's average stores of 120,000 square feet, is a departure

from its recent strategy of opening small-box stores in urban

locations, analyst Edward Yruma of Piper Sandler & Co noted at a

Target ( TGT ) investor meeting in New York following its holiday

quarter results.

For instance, Target ( TGT ) last year announced plans to open six

new stores in New York City, many of them smaller in footprint

than a regular big-box Target ( TGT ) store.

Walmart ( WMT ) has also pivoted its strategy. In 2015, the retailer

said it would slow store openings to focus on building its

e-commerce business to take on Amazon.com ( AMZN ). It last

opened a store in November 2021.

In January, however, it announced plans to build more than

150 new Supercenters and smaller-format Neighborhood markets

over the next five years. This comes just a year after it said

it would open 30 new Sam's Clubs across the country, its first

new openings for the chain since 2017. It is also remodeling 650

existing Walmart ( WMT ) stores over the next 12 months.

Walmart ( WMT ), which generates more than $600 billion in annual

sales, operates about 4,700 U.S. stores - most of them huge

Supercenters selling everything from apples to shoes and TVs.

Macy's is another retailer building new stores. The

department store operator laid out plans to open several more

luxury Bloomingdale's and Bluemercury locations over the next

three years. But it also said it will close 150 big Macy's

stores, including some flagships, to focus efforts on expanding

these better-performing luxury brands.