The chain expanded first in nearby Oxford (1916), then Roxboro (April 1917), Louisburg (March 1918) and in the Rosemary section of Roanoke Rapids (August 1918).

Most stores were in small towns, but in 1938 the company began opening outlets in the Hampton Roads, Virginia, area, which would become its dominant urban market.

The following year, Store 106 (Ocean View Norfolk) and 107 (Downtown Virginia Beach) cemented the company's position in Hampton Roads.

When a shopping center location opened in Spartanburg's Pinewood Plaza in 1961, the building had around 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2) of floor space and advertised itself as a "discount department store".

From this point on until the 1990s, Roses began replacing smaller stores with these large shopping center locations.

When Wal-Mart first moved into the region in the early 1980s, its larger store format seriously diminished Roses' market share and profitability.

[6] In 1997, Roses was purchased by Variety Wholesalers, which dates back to the 1932 opening of Pope's 5 & 10 cent stores in Fuquay-Varina and Angier, North Carolina.

This expansion soon created serious supply chain problems with the company's distribution centers located primarily in the Carolinas and these stores were subsequently closed.

Starting in mid-2012, Roses launched a prototype combination store located in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, incorporating a full grocery department with complete produce, meat, dairy, and frozen food departments.

[7] In 2015 Roses Express moved into the old Food Lion at Hillman Square shopping center on 103rd Street also in Jacksonville, Florida.

On May 11, 2024, the iconic Rose’s store in the beach resort town of Ocean City, MD closed its doors after 45 years in business at that location.