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Meier & Frank & Wards Mail Tribune photos / Bob Pennell Owned by St. Louis-based May Department Stores Co., the Meier & Frank store at Rogue Valley Mall in Medford,top, will expand into the space vacated by Montgomery Wards. The Wards store, right, has been empty since March 2. Store will fill vacant mall site by 2002 By Jessica Smith Rogue Valley Mall shoppers who can�t get enough Meier & Frank will double their fun next year. May Department Stores Co., which owns Meier & Frank, plans to expand the department store into the vacant Montgomery Ward location. "Having the opportunity to provide additional space for merchandise offerings is a good thing for our customers," said Sharon Bateman, a spokeswoman for May. Thursday, the company announced its purchase of 13 Wards stores at an undisclosed price. In addition to the Medford location, May purchased Wards stores in Portland, Washington, D.C., and 10 cities in Texas, Illinois and Missouri. May plans to reopen most locations in 2002 after remodeling the stores. Seven will operate as new stores, and others will be expansions of existing May stores. The purchase of the Wards in Medford puts to rest questions about the future of the 84,480-square-foot store, one of a handful of anchors at the mall. "I think that�s fantastic," said Jill Ditty, marketing manager for the Rogue Valley Mall. "Meier & Frank is a fantastic store and does tremendous business here." Wards announced in December the closure of 250 stores nationwide. The Rogue Valley Mall store has been dark since March 2. The Chicago-based chain filed for bankruptcy in late December after a bleak Christmas sales season. Ditty said she heard Meier & Frank is considering using one floor of the Wards space to expand its home furnishings department, then lease the other floor to another retailer. Bateman said plans for the Wards space remain unclear, but that the store will be remodeled sometime in 2002. A call Friday to Meier & Frank�s spokeswoman in Portland was not returned. Should Meier & Frank decide to lease a portion of the Wards store to another retailer, mall management would give final consent on the tenant, Ditty said. Reach reporter Jessica Smith at 776-4481, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.