EMERYVILLE — Burlington has signed a lease for a new store at East Bay Bridge in Emeryville, a rental agreement that arrives on the heels of plans by the retailer to greatly expand its footprint.

The store will occupy about 43,100 square feet at the retail hub at 3838 Hollis St., according to documents on file with the Alameda County Recorder’s Office. It is taking over a space that was previously occupied by Ashley HomeStore, which closed last year.

East Bay Bridge shopping center at 3838 Hollis Street in Emeryville. (Google Maps)

The retailer plans to open in late 2025 or early 2026, according to Collette Navarette, senior director of marketing with Federal Realty Investment Trust. East Bay Bridge is owned by an affiliate of the real estate firm.

Burlington has launched improvements to prepare the inside and outside of the space for its new Emeryville location, according to Navarette.

Burlington has been adding stores in the Bay Area recently, including a site that it leased at 375 North Capitol Ave. in San Jose that is now open.

During a May 29 conference call to discuss Burlington’s financial results for the first quarter of 2025, Chief Executive Officer Michael O’Sullivan stated that the company is in expansion mode for this year and next.

“We have been active over the last few months in building out the pipeline for 2026,” O’Sullivan told analysts. “We were recently able to acquire 46 leases through the bankruptcy process for Jo Ann’s Fabrics. We are very excited about these locations.”

Burlington hopes to have a net total of 100 more stores open during 2026. It believes it can capitalize on the current uncertainty in the retail sector to power more expansions.

“The silver lining of the current volatile environment is that it is likely to drive further consolidation of bricks-and-mortar stores,” O’Sullivan said. “These closures should provide more opportunities to expand our store footprint.”