RUMFORD – Olympia Sports newest store is slated to open May 20, bringing with it nearly a dozen new jobs, a company official said.

The popular Maine-based chain will open its 26th store in the state at the River Valley Crossing Shopping Center on Route 2 west of town.

Throughout the Northeast, Olympia Sports owns more than 160 stores and employs more than 2,000 people, according to an e-mail from Rob Hilston, human resources director for the company in Westbrook. The most recent Maine store opening was in Skowhegan.

Hilston said the company has been interested in coming to the Rumford area for a while.

“We have always looked for good opportunities in our home state,” he wrote.

The retailer is owned by founder Ed Manganello and his family. The first store opened at the Maine Mall in South Portland in 1975.

Hilston said the grand opening for the store will be May 20. A variety of promotions and specials are expected to be offered.

Jay Wise, of WRE Brokers and owner of the shopping center complex, has been trying to fill the storefronts in the shopping center for several years. Last year, Marden’s opened in the former Ames Department Store location.

He said he is currently talking with four other possible tenants. He would not identify them.