Costco, loft apartments, $57M headquarters and other Middle GA business updates

Middle Georgia’s business landscape is shifting fast, with major investments, new retail openings and one bittersweet farewell all landing within the past several weeks.

Here’s a roundup of what’s coming, what’s opening and what’s closing across Bibb and Houston counties.

A $57M European headquarters lands in Macon

Luxembourg-based ArcelorMittal Building Solutions picked Macon for its first North American headquarters and manufacturing facility. The steel manufacturer plans to invest roughly $57 million at the Airport South site, with construction beginning in the second half of 2026 and operations starting a year later.

The project will create 70 jobs initially across production, logistics, management and sales. Gov. Brian Kemp also announced an additional $50 million investment that will add 70 more jobs over the next several years.

ArcelorMittal builds insulated panel systems for warehouses, factories, data centers and commercial buildings.

“We selected Macon for its workforce, industrial base and the strong support from local and state partners,” CEO Jean Christophe Kennel said in the release.

Costco clears a key hurdle in north Macon

A long-awaited Costco is one step closer to reality. The Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously approved rezoning about 27 acres at Bass and Forsyth roads for a 158,000-square-foot warehouse. Construction is expected in 2026, with an anticipated opening in 2027.

At the corner of Wesleyan Drive and New Forsyth Road, the Costco would be north Bibb’s first warehouse-club-style store, expected to draw shoppers from Monroe, Jones, Crawford and Twiggs counties.

“We don’t have anything like a warehouse-type shopping facility in north Bibb County, and I think it’s going to be beneficial to the community as well as the surrounding counties,” Macon-Bibb County Commissioner Valerie Wynn said.

Costco joins Sam’s Club in Macon and BJ’s Wholesale Club in Warner Robins as the region’s other wholesale options.

A $48M loft project rises in Warner Robins

Sierra Development — the firm behind downtown Macon favorites like Lofts at Capricorn and Lofts at 401 Cherry — is building the Lofts at Flint Station, a 229-unit development near Russell Parkway and South Houston Lake Road in Warner Robins. The $48 million project includes nearly 15,000 square feet of retail space.

The development will feature five, four-story buildings with mostly one- and two-bedroom units, a rooftop terrace overlooking the pool, a gym, a coworking space and an indoor dog spa. Two restaurants are envisioned in the retail mix, and an upscale nail salon and tanning salon are already eyeing space.

“I really don’t have any interest in doing a project unless I think it’s something that’s going to add worth to a community,” said Jim Daws, president of Sierra Development.

Move-ins for the first two buildings could begin in April or May 2027. Sierra is targeting young professionals. The site sits just five miles from Robins Air Force Base’s Russell Parkway gate.

Mall favorites land at City Crossing

Two mall mainstays opened side-by-side outlet stores at City Crossing in Warner Robins. The new Spencer’s at 2620 Watson Blvd., Suite 10, and Bath & Body Works at Suite 9, now give shoppers a non-mall option.

Spencer’s, known for body jewelry, graphic tees, lava lamps and gag gifts, has more than 630 U.S. stores. Bath & Body Works has more than 1,900 stores in the U.S. and Canada and is pushing toward a 75% off-mall footprint over time.

Both Spencer’s and Bath & Body Works also kept their locations in the Houston County Galleria in Centerville when opening the outlet stores in Warner Robins.

A plus-size boutique with a personal mission

Society31, billed as the only plus-size boutique for women in Warner Robins, opened June 26 at 115 Margie Drive in the Jasmine Place shopping center.

Owner Allison Faik stocks sizes large to 4X as well as 5X when she can find it, with the highest-priced piece a $60 maxi dress.

“Everybody should be able to feel beautiful,” Faik said. “They should feel empowered, and they should feel welcome, and they should feel beautiful and confident.”

Faik plans collections tied to local high schools and to colleges including UGA, Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern, with sizes starting at small so friends can “twin.”

One closing: Teacher Needs winding down

Teacher Needs, Macon’s only school supply store at 6394 Zebulon Road, is closing after less than two years and running a 60%-off liquidation sale.

Store owners said the store’s last day open to the public will be July 11, according to a July 1 Facebook post. Before the closure, customers can shop for classroom supplies, educational games, books, décor and teaching resources at discounted prices, the post added.

Owners Roxanne and McLain Oppy reopened the former historic GA School Supply Store location in spring 2025, renaming it Teachers Needs.

“Despite our hopes, hard work, and countless prayers, we have reached the difficult decision to close,” the owners wrote on Facebook.