Ross Dress for Less will open one of its largest Hawaii locations—two stories and nearly 40,000 square feet—in the former Waikiki 1 and 2 Theatres next year.

It will be Hawaii's 13th Ross store.

Most of the locations are on Oahu, but there are two on the Big Island and one on Maui.

The typical Ross store is 25,000 to 30,000 square feet, said Bobbi Chaville, senior director of investor and media relations.

The California-based parent company, Ross Stores Inc., operates two chains of off-price retail stores with lines of clothing, accessories, shoes, linens, home furnishings and other types of merchandise.

There are 967 Ross stores in 27 states and on Guam and 54 dd's DISCOUNTS stores in four states, Chaville said.

DRESSING UP         Ross Dress for Less stores in Hawaii         OAHU         » Keeaumoku: 711 Keeaumoku St.         » Pearlridge: 98-1005 Moanalua Road, Space 556         » Ward: 333 Ward Ave.         » Downtown: 1045 Fort Street Mall         » Hawaii Kai: 333 Keahole St., Suite 2d         » Kaneohe: 45-480 Kaneohe Bay Dr., Suite B15         » Kapolei: 4450 Kapolei Parkway, Suite 160         » Mililani: 95-221 Kipapa Drive, Bldg. D         » Pearl City: 1000 Kamehameha Hwy.         BIG ISLAND         » Hilo: 307 E. Maakala St.         » Kona: 74-5584 Palani Road         MAUI         » Kahului: 200 E Kamehameha Ave.         Source: www.rossstores.com

Extensive demolition and build-out in the former theater space will take time, and Chaville would say only that the store would open next year. Hiring will begin perhaps a couple of months prior to opening with a banner outside the store being the tip-off for potential job seekers. The banner will direct applicants to the company website, which does not presently offer e-mail alerts for job seekers, she said.

The typical Ross store employs 45 to 50 people, so the Waikiki staff would likely be larger.

The screens at the Waikiki 1, 2 and 3 Theatres were abruptly taken dark by owner Consolidated Amusement on Nov. 20, 2002, citing declining revenue.

“;It's no longer a viable business. ... Actually, it's losing money,”; said Glenn Yim, Consolidated's vice president of operations, at the time. T

he company progressively closed theaters as it shifted its core business to real estate asset management.

It put its entire Hawaii movie exhibition business on the block in 2003.

Consolidated owner Pacific Theatres Exhibition Corp. sold its leasehold interests in the nine Hawaii theaters on Oahu and Maui as well as six in California to California-based Reading International Inc. in 2007.