PELL CITY — It’s official. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is coming to town."We purchased the property but have not yet determined a construction date," said Jim Taylor, a spokesman at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store’s main headquarters in Labenon, Tenn.
Taylor said the company bought 2.63 acres, which is located close to where the new Home Depot store is being built. The Home Depot broke ground at the new construction site Thursday.
The Home Depot Inc. is opening a 102,000 square foot store in the new Bankhead Marketplace commercial development, which also broke ground Thursday. The home improvement store will also have a 25,000 to 28,000 square foot garden center. The store is expected to employ 125 to 150 full- and part-time employees.
The Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is actually being built in I-20 Properties Inc.’s Bankhead Crossing development, where Wal-Mart is located. The new Home Depot store is behind Wal-Mart store in the new Bankhead Marketplace commercial development.
"Cracker Barrel is a highly sought after restaurant for any community," Mayor Adam Stocks said. "We’re very glad Cracker Barrel has decided to locate in Pell City."
Stocks said this should be the first of many announcements of national retail businesses moving into Pell City.
"We got the number two retailer and probably one of the most sought after restaurants in the South," Stocks said. "It’s been a very good week for Pell City."
Taylor said Cracker Barrel Old Country Store looks at 100 new store sites each year. There is already one Cracker Barrel restaurant in St. Clair County, off Interstate 20 in Moody.
"We’ve always felt Pell City and the entire state of Alabama is good for Cracker Barrel," Taylor said.
He said the company purchased the property in Pell City Tuesday.
Taylor said the move was a lengthy process, in which the company received a warm welcome and cooperation from residents, as well as from city and county officials.
"We feel like it’s going to be great there in Pell City," Taylor said.
Last fiscal year, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. recorded net sales of $2.06 billion. Seventy-six percent of their revenue comes from restaurant sales, while 24 percent of their revenue comes from retail sales.
On the average, one Cracker Barrel Old Country store welcomes between 1,000 to 2,000 guests each day and averages about $4.2 million in sales each year, according to the company’s Web site.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has about 524 company-owned stores in 41 states.
