Jacksonville-based Stein Mart to reopen 35 Florida stores in Florida

One of Northeast Florida’s largest retailers is working to open dozens of stores across the state next week in the wake of Gov. Ron DeSantis’s order to begin reopening the economy following shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Jacksonville-based Stein Mart is preparing to open 35 of its 44 stores across Florida Tuesday, company spokeswoman Linda Tasseff said.

While most of the stores throughout the state will reopen next week, another nine will remain closed in the counties that have been most drastically impacted by the pandemic — Palm Beach, Brevard and Dade counties.

“Our store teams have been anxiously looking forward to reopening their stores and serving their customers once again, either inside or curbside. Our customers are a big part of the Stein Mart family and they have been missed,” said Hunt Hawkins, Stein Mart CEO. “As we navigate through this ‘new normal’ with additional precautionary measures, we can all help each other – customers, associates and business partners – by continuing to follow these important guidelines.”

Stein Mart has already opened in other states including South Carolina and Arkansas on April 23 and on Friday in Utah, Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama. That accounts for about one-third of the company’s stores.

There are 281 Stein Mart stores across 30 states in America.

The move to reopen comes as the retailer announced plans to begin cleaning measures in its stores to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

When customers return to Stein Mart stores, fitting rooms will be off limits and banned until further notice. Stein Mart has instituted an extension to its return policy for customers who purchase goods there.  Store hours will be limited from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.