Orchard Supply to open in former Kmart

Orchard Supply Hardware will open a 50,000-sq.-ft. store in Torrance, Calif., showcasing the company’s new store format. 

The South Bay store at 19330 Hawthorne Blvd., the site of a former Kmart store, will open Sept. 1 and marks the company’s 89th store in the state of California.

The layout is based on a race-track configuration, which maximizes traffic flow and helps the customer find items quickly. The store also features an expanded and centralized customer-service area referred to as the “Workbench”, where customers get assistance with basic hardware needs, such as tool and knife sharpening, rescreening, lock rekeying, custom-cutting of rope, screens and other materials, and pipe threading. Additionally, an enlarged paint area highlights Orchard’s expansive, high-quality Benjamin Moore paint selection and a spacious indoor/outdoor nursery and garden supply area offers direct access from the parking lot. 

The South Bay store also features a distinctive new interior look, described by Orchard Supply as “warm, functional and colorful.” The new design was piloted at Orchard’s San Jose Princeton Plaza store, which opened in September 2011 and will be phased in across the store base over time. 

“We offer a welcoming, low-stress shopping experience and a broad range of products that are carefully selected for the local neighborhood,” said Mark Baker, president and CEO. “We believe our formula will enable Orchard to ‘own’ the neighborhood market for home repair and maintenance, painting and especially backyard living.”