In brief: Ross Dress for Less will open on South Hill in fall

Clothing retailer Ross Dress for Less will open its South Hill store sometime this fall, said a spokesman for Black Property Management, the company that manages the property it’s leasing.

California-based Ross Stores announced last year it will take 28,000 square feet inside the space used by Gottschalks and Lamonts in the Manito Shopping Center.

The company hoped to open this summer, but plans now suggest opening this fall, said John Bennett, president of NAI Black Property Management.

He said the delay in preparing the building came from efforts to remove asbestos and a prolonged process to complete …

Clothing retailer Ross Dress for Less will open its South Hill store sometime this fall, said a spokesman for Black Property Management, the company that manages the property it’s leasing.

California-based Ross Stores announced last year it will take 28,000 square feet inside the space used by Gottschalks and Lamonts in the Manito Shopping Center.

The company hoped to open this summer, but plans now suggest opening this fall, said John Bennett, president of NAI Black Property Management.

He said the delay in preparing the building came from efforts to remove asbestos and a prolonged process to complete the design for the building’s remodel.

The asbestos abatement, which ended earlier this year, delayed the project by about two weeks and was not a major problem, Bennett said.

Tom Sowa

Ten Northwest companies make Fortune 500 list

Seven Washington-based companies and one in Idaho are on this year’s Fortune 500 list. The Washington state firms, along with their rank and revenues, are:

25. Costco Wholesale, Issaquah: $71.4 billion

36. Microsoft, Redmond: $58.4 billion

100. Amazon.com, Seattle: $24.5 billion

241. Starbucks, Seattle: $9.8 billion

270. Nordstrom, Seattle: $8.6 billion

282. PACCAR, Bellevue: $8.1 billion

379. Weyerhaeuser, Federal Way: $5.5 billion

In Idaho, Micron Technology in Boise ranked No. 432 with $4.8 billion in revenues.

Oregon has two companies on the list: No. 124, Nike (Beaverton) had $19.1 billion in revenues; No. 325, Precision Castparts (Portland) had $6.9 billion.

There are no Fortune 500 companies based in Montana or Alaska.

Staff report

Consumers borrowed more on credit cards in March

WASHINGTON – Consumers used their credit cards more in March, marking only the second increase in the more than two years since the height of the financial crisis.

The Federal Reserve said Friday that consumers increased their total borrowing by $6 billion in March, the sixth consecutive monthly gain. Consumers borrowed more to finance car loans for the eighth straight month. And a category of borrowing that includes credit card use rose for only the second time since August 2008.

More frequent credit card purchases could be a sign that consumers are feeling more confident about the economy.

Associated Press