Burlington Coat Factory has hometown connection

It's not just coincidence that Yuma has a brand-new Burlington Coat Factory.

While it made business sense, said Arizona District manager Scott Erfert, there was another factor at play.

After all, Yuma is his hometown, and although he's moved on to the big city to pursue his career, "it was exciting" to bring the store to the community where he grew up and still has family.

As it turned out, it was indeed a good business decision.

"It's been great," Erfert said Wednesday after the store had been open nearly a week. "We've doubled the usual projected sales and they're increasing every day. We've exceeded expectations."

And as the final touches get put on the store for its grand opening this weekend, he expects it to do even better.

The store occupies 80,000 square feet of the former JCPenney space at Southgate Mall. It features current trends and famous labels in apparel and shoes for the entire family from casual to dressy - and of course coats.

It also has a Home Decor Department and Baby Depot Department, where expectant parents can get everything they need for their baby "except the food," Erfert said. The National Baby Registry makes it easy for family and friends to purchase that special gift.

"We consider ourselves a destination store," Erfert said, "a one-stop shopping experience."

That's why going into Southgate Mall made sense, he said. "We don't rely on foot traffic. We develop our own with discount prices, a good-looking store and our brands."

On the other hand, he said, the presence of Burlington Coat Factory is expected to bring foot traffic to the mall to boost existing businesses. And often, it serves as an attraction for other chains to come in, too.

There's been interest by Burlington Coat Factory to open stores in communities along the border, Erfert said. For example, a store opened about a month ago in El Centro near Imperial Valley Mall.

Several locations in Yuma were scouted, including the former Target building and the vacant Kmart. The owner of Southgate Mall happened to know the Burlington Coat Factory vice president in San Antonio and they settled on mall as the place.

"So here we are," Erfert said.

He was especially pleased that all the managers were hired locally. The store manager is Case Van Veen, who previously had been with Wal-Mart and then Circuit City. Fully staffed, the store will have between 70 and 80 employees, both full time and part time.

Erfert's father, Tom, recently retired from the city and his mother, Christal, worked for Yuma Regional Medical Center for 20 years. His brother works at Yuma Printers and his uncle Mike works for the city of Yuma Fire Department. Erfert attended local schools and still calls himself a "Kofa King."

Store hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays. The store can be reached at 344-6800.

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Joyce Lobeck can be reached at jlobeck@yumasun.com or 5329-6853.