URM Cash & Carry, a division of URM Stores Inc., the Spokane-based grocery cooperative, plans to open a second store in the Spokane area this spring, at 16808 E. Sprague, says Rick Jensen, director of URMs Cash & Carry.


URM Cash & Carry has leased about 23,000 square feet of space that formerly housed a nursery and hardware store in Veradale, and expects to open its new store there in mid-April, he says.


Camco Construction Inc., of Spokane, is remodeling the space. Jensen says the work will include adding a loading dock and receiving area, installing refrigeration units, and making cosmetic improvements such as applying new paint. He declined to disclose the cost of the remodeling.


URM Cash & Carry wholesales food-service products at storefronts, rather than through URM Stores giant warehouse. Most of the cash-and-carry operations customers are restaurants, churches, day-care centers, and fraternal organizations, Jensen says.


We recognize the Valley has a fast-growing restaurant trade, and see the need for a strong presence there, he says.


The store will have five employees to start, and might employ up to eight people as its customer base grows, Jensen says.


The new store will offer food, cleaning supplies, and other restaurant items in commercial-sized packages, as well as some smaller packages intended to supply convenience stores, he says. The product mix will be similar to what is available at URM Cash & Carrys other Spokane store, at 902 E. Springfield, near the corner of Trent Avenue and Hamilton Street. The new store, however, will have about five times as much cooler space as the store on Springfield and will offer a larger produce selection as well, he says.


The Spokane Valley store will be the Cash & Carry divisions sixth outlet. Its other stores are located in Lewiston, Idaho, and Kennewick, Yakima, and Wenatchee, Wash.