METAIRIE -- Macy's Inc. will open two stores in suburban New Orleans in late 2008, bringing the retailer back to the region for the first time since Hurricane Katrina.

WWL-TV

Macy's unveiled sketches for the new store in Metairie at the Lakeside Mall.

Cincinnati-based Macy's said Thursday it would build a new store at the Lakeside Mall in Metairie and reopen a refurbished store at Kenner's Esplanade Mall that has been shuttered since Katrina struck on Aug. 29, 2005.

"Returning to the New Orleans market has been a top priority for us," said Ed Holmon, head of Macy's South, the company division that handles Louisiana. "We're looking forward to opening both stores and once again being part of the vibrant, re-energized and evolving New Orleans community."

Prior to Katrina, Macy's also had a store at the New Orleans Centre, located across from the Louisiana Superdome. The company earlier said that store would not be reopened.

Macy's, which changed its name from Federated Department Stores Inc. on June 1, currently has two stores in Baton Rouge, one in Lafayette and one in Lake Charles. Nationwide, the company has more than 850 stores in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico operating under the names of Macy's and Bloomingdale's.

Both of the New Orleans-area stores will operate under the Macy's name.

Groundbreaking for the 228,000-square-foot, three-level store in Metairie is slated for November. The 188,000-square-foot Kenner location, which is currently under renovation, also will have three levels, Macy's said.

The two stores, which are scheduled to open in November 2008, are expected to create 360 jobs, the company said. According to the state labor department, there were 57,700 people employed in retail trade in the New Orleans metropolitan area in August, up from 56,500 in August 2006.

Also on Thursday, grocery chain Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. reopened a 50,709-square-foot store in New Orleans East that had been largely destroyed by post-Katrina flooding in the city. A lack of basic stores has been cited as one of the reasons for the area's slow repopulating and rebuilding.

To mark the opening, Winn-Dixie chairman Peter Lynch rang the opening bell on Nasdaq by remote from the store.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)