SIC 5311

Variety Stores

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

61companies1670–1997founding years54still active6no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1916
EconomyPiggly Wiggly opens the first self-service grocery store.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
EconomyThe first Walmart opens, built on everyday low prices.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1994
TechnologyE-commerce begins to disrupt retail.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Hudson's Bay Company
Active · founded 1670 · Canada
Canada's number one department store retailer, Hudson's Bay Company, is also Canada's oldest corporation.
The North West Company, Inc.
Active · founded 1783 · Canada
The North West Company, Inc., is the leading seller of food and other general merchandise in small towns across the…
Carson Pirie Scott & Company
Active · founded 1854
Carson Pirie Scott & Company is a regional department store chain, operating 51 stores in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota,…
Bloomingdale's Inc.
Active · founded 1872
Bloomingdale's Inc.
Kaufhof Warenhaus AG
Active · founded 1879 · Federal Republic of Germany
Kaufhof Warenhaus AG, the group of retailing and service companies formerly known as Kaufhof Holding AG, was born from…
Montgomery Ward & Co., Incorporated
Defunct · founded 1889
Montgomery Ward & Co., Incorporated is a national retailer with more than 400 stores in 43 states.
The Bon Marché, Inc.
Active · founded 1890
A venerable department store operator for more than a century, The Bon Marché, Inc.
Peebles Inc.
Active · founded 1891
With 65 stores in ten Mid-Atlantic states ranging from South Carolina to New York, Peebles Inc.
AVA AG (Allgemeine Handelsgesellschaft der Verbraucher AG)
Active · founded 1892 · Germany
Active throughout Germany and in the Netherlands, AVA AG (Allgemeine Handelsgesellschaft der Verbraucher AG) is one of…
Meier & Frank Co.
Active · founded 1893
One of the oldest retail chains in the Pacific Northwest, Meier & Frank Co.
Spiegel, Inc.
Active · founded 1893
Spiegel, Inc.
Marks and Spencer p.l.c.
Active · founded 1894 · United Kingdom
Marks and Spencer p.l.c.
L. Luria & Son, Inc.
Active · founded 1898
L.
Duckwall-ALCO Stores, Inc.
Active · founded 1901
A regional discount retailer, Duckwall-ALCO Stores, Inc.
Saks Holdings, Inc.
Active · founded 1902
The name "Saks" is known throughout the retail world, synonymous with luxurious haute couture.
Gottschalks, Inc.
Active · founded 1904
Gottschalks, Inc.
Younkers, Inc.
Active · founded 1904
Younkers, Inc.
Hankyu Corporation
Active · founded 1907 · Japan
Hankyu Corporation is one of Japan's largest private railway operators.
Crowley, Milner & Company
Active · founded 1909
Crowley, Milner & Company is the owner and operator of ten different specialty department stores throughout the eastern…
Kingfisher plc
Active · founded 1909 · United Kingdom
Based in London, Kingfisher plc is a major European retailing and property group.
J.C. Penney Company, Inc.
Active · founded 1913 · www.jcpenney.com
With over 1,200 stores in all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Chile, J.C.
Mercantile Stores Company, Inc.
Defunct · founded 1914
Mercantile Stores Company, Inc., a traditional department store retailer, operates over 100 primarily fashion apparel…
Schottenstein Stores Corp.
Active · founded 1917
In its third generation under family management, Schottenstein Stores Corp.
Harcourt General, Inc.
Renamed · founded 1919
Through its core publishing arm, Harcourt General, Inc.
Proffitt's, Inc.
Defunct · founded 1919
Under the dynamic leadership of R.
Knott's Berry Farm
Active · founded 1920
Knott's Berry Farm grew from a small roadside berry stand 22 miles south of Los Angeles into one of the most popular…
Coles Myer Ltd.
Defunct · founded 1921 · Australia
Coles Myer Ltd.
The Golub Corporation
Active · founded 1932
"Successful, innovative, and civic-minded" are terms that describe well The Golub Corporation of Schenectady, New York.
Bhs plc
Active · founded 1933 · England
Known for more than 50 years as British Home Stores, Bhs plc ranks among the United Kingdom's largest department store…
Associated British Foods plc
Active · founded 1935 · United Kingdom
With high-ranking positions in several categories of foodstuffs, Associated British Foods plc (ABF) stands as one of…
Jacobson Stores Inc.
Active · founded 1939
Jacobson Stores Inc.
El Corte Inglés Group
Active · founded 1940 · Spain
El Corte Inglés, S.A.
Kesko Ltd. (Kesko Oy)
Active · founded 1940 · Finland
The largest trading company in Finland, Kesko Ltd.
Value Merchants Inc.
Active · founded 1944
Value Merchants Inc.'s Everything's A Dollar subsidiary operated more than 250 discount stores throughout the nation…
Sears Roebuck de México, S.A. de C.V.
Active · founded 1945 · Mexico
Sears Roebuck de México, S.A.
Caldor Inc.
Active · founded 1951
Caldor Inc.
Mac Frugal's Bargains - Closeouts Inc.
Active · founded 1953
When many manufacturers need to unload products--discontinued items, production overruns, canceled orders, inventory…
FNAC
Active · founded 1954 · France
The FNAC chain of retail stores is France's leading purveyor of what the company refers to as "cultural goods." The…
Universal International, Inc.
Active · founded 1956
A regional discount retailer, Universal International, Inc., operates a chain of nearly 60 Only Deals stores in the…
Hills Stores Company
Active · founded 1957
A pioneer in the discount store industry, Hills Stores Company is the eighth-largest general merchandise discount…
The Daiei, Inc.
Defunct · founded 1957 · Japan
The Daiei, Inc.
Cost Plus, Inc.
Active · founded 1958
One of the leading direct-import retailers in the United States, Cost Plus, Inc.
Pubco Corporation
Active · founded 1958
Pubco Corporation is a diversified company with an unusual mix of interests.
Pamida Holdings Corporation
Active · founded 1963
Owner of a leading discount general merchandise chain, Pamida Holdings Corporation operates 181 stores in 15…
Casey's General Stores, Inc.
Active · founded 1967
Casey's General Stores, Inc.
Stein Mart Inc.
Active · founded 1968
Stein Mart Inc.
Dayton Hudson Corporation
Active · founded 1969
Dayton Hudson Corporation operates the well-known Target discount stores, Mervyn's moderately priced retail stores, and…
Discount Drug Mart, Inc.
Active · founded 1969
Discount Drug Mart, Inc.
Service Merchandise Company, Inc.
Defunct · founded 1970
Service Merchandise Company, Inc.
Venture Stores Inc.
Active · founded 1970
Venture Stores Inc.
TVI, Inc.
Active · founded 1972
TVI, Inc.
Brookstone, Inc.
Active · founded 1973
Brookstone, Inc.
GIB Group
Active · founded 1974 · Belgium
GIB Group, Belgium's top retailer, is active in four sectors: supermarkets and hypermarkets; do-it-yourself (DIY) home…
LOT$OFF Corporation
Active · founded 1975
LOT$OFF Corporation, formerly 50-Off Stores, Inc., operates approximately 40 discount stores throughout the United…
Garden Ridge Corporation
Active · founded 1979
1979 — First store opens in San Antonio, TX.
Grupo Carso, S.A. de C.V.
Active · founded 1980 · Mexico
Grupo Carso, S.A.
Riklis Family Corp.
Active · founded 1980
Riklis Family Corp.
99¢ Only Stores
Active · founded 1982
Operator of a fast-growing chain of stores, 99¢ Only Stores buys merchandise from suppliers getting rid of excess,…
Storehouse PLC
Active · founded 1986 · United Kingdom
With its British Home Stores (Bhs) and Mothercare chains, Storehouse PLC ranks among the United Kingdom's top ten…
Planet Hollywood International, Inc.
Active · founded 1991
Planet Hollywood International, Inc.
800-JR Cigar, Inc.
Active · founded 1997
800-JR Cigar, Inc.
Build It Today

Starting a variety stores company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories with today's tools and capital.