
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, July 21, 1990                   TAG: 9007210124
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

MONTGOMERY WARD OPENS IN ROANOKE

About 100 shoppers and city officials were waiting when Montgomery Ward & Co. opened Friday morning at Valley View Mall. For Leon Medley of Roanoke, who said he shopped years ago at Ward stores in Wisconsin, the outlet will add variety to Roanoke Valley retailing.

But City Councilman Howard Musser, who extended the community's official welcome, said Roanoke can use the sales taxes the store will generate. Neither company nor city officials would say how much the 68,310-square-foot store will mean for municipal coffers. But if it performs up to the 336-store chain's average last year of $208 a square foot, it would yield $14.2 million in sales.

Ward's executive vice president Malvin A. Pavik, who manages the region that includes Virginia, said there was much in Roanoke to entice the chain, including "a great shopping center, great people . . . gorgeous sunrises and sunsets."

"As you come into our stores, we know we have to earn our way," Pavik said, urging shoppers to "challenge us on our competitive prices."

- Staff report

by CNB