A new Best Buy store is slated to open in DeKalb this March as part of Best Buy’s 73-store nationwide expansion plan.

The store is part of DeKalb’s plan to keep shoppers in the city, said Paul Rasmussen, community development director for DeKalb.

Best Buy’s DeKalb location will offer customers a local option for purchasing electronics and appliances.

Otherwise, Rasmussen said, DeKalb shoppers may spend their money in Geneva, Rockford or Naperville.

The addition of Best Buy will further divide the music market in the Sycamore Road corridor, which currently is shared with competitors Barnes & Noble Bookseller, 2439 Sycamore Road; Borders, 2520 Sycamore Road; and Wal-Mart, 2300 Sycamore Road.

Also scheduled to open in March is Kohl’s department store. Both Kohl’s and Best Buy currently are interviewing applicants. Even with Best Buy coming to town, Record Revolution, 817 W. Lincoln Highway, a 30-year-old business in DeKalb, remains optimistic.

“With the exception of mainstream new releases, I don’t think our sales will fall,” employee Emily Hahn said.

The main purpose of the new store, Rasmussen said, is to sell electronics and appliances.

Radio Shack, 2690 DeKalb Ave. in Sycamore; and Sears Appliance Center, 6583 Sycamore Road in DeKalb are the front-runners among electronics and appliance retailers in DeKalb, leaving the market limited, Rasmussen said.

“This is a good thing for DeKalb. The market changes and our goal was aimed at electronics and appliances,” Rasmussen said. “Smart retailers will adjust.”

Kohl’s human resources department can be reached at 877-639-5645. To apply at Best Buy, visit www.bestbuy.com.