The Container Store to Open Three Florida Locations in Orlando, Tampa and Boca Raton

    DALLAS, TX, July 10, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Container Store, the nation's originator and leading retailer of storage and organization products, today announced it will open three Florida locations in 2013. The new stores will be located in Orlando, Tampa and Boca Raton, Florida. The retailer currently has two Florida stores in Hallandale Beach and Miami. The new stores will generate more than 180 jobs.

For each new location, The Container Store will partner with a local nonprofit that will receive 10 percent of its grand opening weekend sales as part of the retailer's commitment to give back to its local communities.

- The Orlando store will open spring 2013 and occupy 25,000 square feet in the Mall at Millenia.

- The Tampa store will occupy 25,000 square feet located on the Southwest corner of West Shore Blvd and Spruce Street, one block south of International Plaza Mall. An opening date is still to be determined.

- The Boca Raton store will occupy 21,000 square feet located on the Southeast corner of Glades Road and St. Andrews Blvd in Town Center Boca Raton (connected to mall with interior entrance). An opening date is still to be determined.

"The Container Store is extremely deliberate in selecting A+ real estate sites across the country surrounded by a dense population of our time- and space-starved customers," said Kip Tindell, Chairman and CEO of The Container Store. "We're thrilled to bring our unique concept to these three markets and are confident they will perform as top-level stores from the first day the doors open."

The retailer's 10,000 multi-functional and innovative products designed to solve the smallest storage solutions to the most intimidating organizational challenges will be organized within each of the new locations into 16 signature lifestyle departments such as closet, kitchen, office, travel, gift packaging and laundry, to organize its time- and space-starved customers. The retailer couples its one-of-a-kind product collection with an extremely high level of personalized customer service delivered by its organization experts.

The Container Store offers a solutions-based approach to retail that's liberated by a commitment to employee development and training. Each full-time salesperson receives more than 263 hours of training in their first year compared to the retail industry average of seven to 10 hours. In addition, the retailer pays its employees 50 to 100 percent higher than retail industry average. "A funny thing happens when you take the time to educate your employees, pay them well and treat them as equals. You end up with extremely motivated and enthusiastic people," added Tindell.

It's this commitment to an employee-first culture that has landed The Container Store on FORTUNE Magazine's annual list of "100 Best Companies to Work For" for the past 13 years with the most recent ranking being announced in January.

Customers of each new store will be able to take advantage of all of the retailer's free, time-saving services, including:
- elfa custom design and installation services. The Container Store's expert closet designers will be available every day to create customized storage and organization solutions for any area of the home or office. elfa, the foundation of any organized space, is the premiere storage system available on the market and has been The Container Store's best-selling product since its debut in 1978.
- The Gift Registry allows customers to register for any celebration -- wedding, off to college, new baby, housewarming, anniversary, even a birthday.
- Click & Pickup (with Curbside Delivery) Order online and pick up in store -- in most markets, customers can have their order brought to their car.

"We look forward to astonishing new and existing Florida customers alike with The Container Store's unique shopping experience, product collection and renowned customer service delivered by our great employees," continued Tindell. "Our goal is to have each customer do a little dance every time they open the doors of their organized closet, pantry or home office."

To learn more about The Container Store's unique approach to business, its Foundation Principles or to apply for a career, visit its blog at http://standfor.containerstore.com/.

Visit www.containerstore.com for more information about store locations, the product collection and services offered. Fiscal year 2012 sales are expected to reach an excess of $700 million. The Container Store is privately held.

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