National home furnishings retailer Bed Bath & Beyond plans to open its first store in Hawai'i later this year, at Pearlridge Center.

The company recently signed a lease for the space formerly occupied by Circuit City, which closed early last year after filing bankruptcy.

The new 65,000-square-foot store projected to open late this summer will be one of the company's larger stores.

"This is really exciting for us," said company spokeswoman Catherine Gentile. "We are always looking to open great new stores ... and we didn't have any in Hawai'i."

Bed Bath & Beyond, established in 1971, has prospected for a store in Hawai'i for more than a decade.

The company has close to 1,100 stores in 49 states, Puerto Rico and Canada.

The retailer started out selling primarily bed linens and bath accessories, but in 1985 began transitioning to a superstore format carrying a broad line of home furnishing merchandise.

Most stores range from 23,000 to 50,000 square feet, though some exceed 80,000 square feet.