By Jim Misunas
jmisunas@gbtribune.com

LARNED — The Larned Pamida store will launch its conversion into a Shopko Hometown store Sunday by shutting down parts of the store for a week. The Pamida pharmacy will remain open during the six-week remodeling. “We’re excited about the transition to Shopko Hometown, but want to assure customers that the Pamida Pharmacy will continue to remain open and ready to serve them during the conversion process,” said Harry Zielke, RPh, pharmacy manager. “My team and I are excited to serve the pharmacy and healthcare needs of Larned and the surrounding area.”  
For information, call 620-285-6479.
Each conversion, one department at a time, will take six weeks. A grand reopening will be scheduled near the end of November once the renovation process is completed.
The first department to be remodeled will be consumables. Consumables feature health and beauty, over the counter, candy, beverages and snacks. Consumables is expected to reopen by Oct. 28.
The home department features sporting goods, electronics, housewares, toys and domestics. It will reopen about Nov. 11.
Apparels will reopen about Nov. 18.
Each conversion will feature new interior and exterior signage, updated and supplemental fixtures and a new store layout. Each department will be converted and be available for shopping shortly thereafter.
Affiliates of a private investment company called Sun Capital Partners Inc. decided to merge Shopko and Pamida and rename the stores as Shopko Hometown. Sun Capital is expected to invest $80 million to remodel most of the 193 Pamida locations.
Over the past two years, Shopko acquired seven Pamida stores and did a trial run of this hometown model. The stores showed significant improvement in sales and profitability, according to Shopko officials. Shopko has $2 billion in annual sales, about double Pamida’s revenues.
With annual revenues of $2 billion, Green Bay, Wis.-based Shopko operates 149 stores in 13 states located in the Midwest, Mountain and Pacific Northwest regions.
Omaha, Neb.-based Pamida operates 193 stores in 17 states, primarily in the Mountain, North Central and Midwest regions. Pamida has revenues of approximately $1 billion.
Shopko Hometown combines pharmacy services with a broad and dynamic offering of strong national brands and high-value private label brands of apparel, toys, consumer electronics, seasonal items, and lawn and garden products – all in attractive, well laid out, easy-to-shop store formats that range from 15,000 to 35,000 square feet.
W. Paul Jones, Shopko president, said customers should benefit from their combined resources, buying power and merchandising expertise, which will also set a solid foundation for future growth.
In 1999, Shopko Stores, Inc., a Fortune 500 company based in Green Bay, Wis., bought Pamida and operated the stores as one company.
In 2005, Sun Capital bought both chains. At that time, Pamida was separated from the SkopKo umbrella and re-established corporate headquarters in Omaha, Neb. Pamida’s headquarters in Omaha will eventually close and its corporate operations will move to Shopko’s home in Green Bay.