Marshalls, DGX in the plans for Ponca City

City Development Services Director Chris Henderson confirmed Monday night that Marshalls Department store is moving forward with its plan to open in the former J.C. Penney building, filling 17,000 square feet of space in the south part of the building.

Harbor Freight, which opened in early April, is a tenant in the north part of the building.

Henderson said developers have worked for the past two years to bring another major retailer to Ponca City, and Marshalls pushed out other competitors.

Marshalls was acquired by TJX in 1995, and together with T.J. Maxx, forms Marmaxx, the largest off-price retailer of apparel and home fashions in the U.S.

Another big project on the books is a new Dollar General store, to be branded as DGX. This store is to be located on the northwest corner of Waverly Street and Grand Avenue, Henderson said. He said it is a higher category of retail than the area’s current Dollar General stores – among other things it will also sell produce.

The company’s website says DGX is expected to offer customers more items geared toward immediate consumption, including, for example, a soda fountain, coffee station and grab-and-go sandwiches. Additional items are expected to include a limited assortment of grocery offerings, pet supplies, candies and snacks, paper products, home cleaning supplies and an expanded health and beauty section. The store also is expected to feature items not typically found in quick-trip stores, including a carefully-edited assortment of home, electronics and seasonal offerings. Finally, the store will include a checkout lane geared toward a high-volume, smaller basket size store with the goal of providing a quick and easy check out for customers.

Henderson said it has been a very good year, permit-wise, for Ponca City.