Burlington Shrinks Store Size While Still Growing Its Fleet

Burlington Stores Inc. (Burlington, N.J.) is finding smaller is better, at least when it comes to store size.

CEO Michael O’Sullivan told Women’s Wear Daily that by 2028, 80% of the chain’s store fleet will have either been relocated, downsized, or newly opened to a smaller, more efficient format. The updated layout checks in at roughly 25,000 square feet, versus the brand’s previous average of 80,000 to 100,000 square feet.

“It’s a big change and it’s working,” O’Sullivan said in an interview with WWD. “Despite the fact that our stores are a third the size of what they used to be, they’re doing similar sales volumes, and on a sales-per-square-foot basis, we’ve seen a huge increase in productivity. So, what the customer is saying is, they like that smaller format.”

The retailer currently has about 1300 stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico; its current expansion plans involve opening a total of 110 new stores by the end of its current fiscal year in January 2027.