BOSSIER CITY, La. — Rural King has cleared a key regulatory hurdle for its planned store at Pierre Bossier Mall, moving the farm-and-home retailer closer to opening its first Louisiana location.
The Bossier City-Parish Metropolitan Planning Commission on Monday approved a conditional use request allowing Rural King to display outdoor merchandise at the former Sears location, 2950 E. Texas St.
An attorney representing Rural King told commissioners the property remains under contract and described the conditional use approval as the final prerequisite to closing on the property.
The company hopes to open the Bossier City store in late 2027.
Rural King, founded in Mattoon, Illinois, in 1960, operates more than 150 stores across the Midwest, South and Mid-Atlantic. The retailer sells a broad mix of farm, home and general merchandise, including livestock feed, farm equipment, agricultural parts, lawn mowers, workwear, housewares and other products.
Louisiana is not currently among the states where Rural King operates.
Josh Chevalier, an attorney representing Rural King Realty LLC, told commissioners the retailer combines elements of several familiar big-box concepts, with a particular emphasis on hobby farming and outdoor equipment.
“It’s similar to a bit of a hybrid between a Walmart-type big box store, trending obviously to a lot more hobby farm and outdoor-type equipment,” Chevalier said.
The company’s plans for the former Sears property include outdoor displays similar to those found at home-improvement and farm-supply retailers.
Proposed merchandise areas could include tractors and tractor implements such as bush hogs, along with planting and building materials, fence posts and mulch. Smaller merchandise including grills, lawn mowers and patio furniture could be displayed near the front of the store.
The outdoor sales areas would occupy portions of the existing parking lot, but Rural King representatives said the property would still have 515 parking spaces after those areas are excluded. That is approximately 80 more spaces than required under the development code.
MPC Chairman Jeff Thigpen expressed support for bringing a new retailer to the former Sears property but sought assurances that outdoor merchandise areas would remain organized and would not evolve into storage areas.
“We’re pleased to see something going in there,” Thigpen said.
Commissioners requested an operational site plan showing generally where different types of merchandise would be displayed. Thigpen said having the plan on file would give the MPC a record of what was agreed upon if questions about the outdoor merchandise areas arise later.
Rural King’s representative agreed to work with the company to provide the operational site plan administratively.
The commission subsequently approved the conditional use request.
The project would bring a new retail concept to one of Bossier City’s longstanding commercial properties while returning a major former department-store space to active retail use.
The Sears store was once one of the mall’s principal anchors. Rural King’s plans would repurpose the property for a retail format substantially different from the traditional department store that previously occupied the space.
With the conditional use approval secured, the next significant step is closing on the property.
If the transaction proceeds as planned, Rural King’s first Louisiana store could open in Bossier City in the latter part of 2027.