Carson's
Parent |
| |
Website | carsons |
---|
Carson Pirie Scott & Co. (also known as Carson's) was an American
History
Origins: Carson and Pirie
The chain began in 1854 when Samuel Carson and John Thomas Pirie first clerked in the Murray's dry goods store in Peru, Illinois, then opened their own store in LaSalle, followed by one in Amboy. In 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed 60% of the store's stock.[citation needed]
Origins: Scott
John Edwin Scott operated a dry goods store in Ottawa, Illinois. He later moved up to Chicago and became the first partner of Carson and Pirie in the ownership of a dry goods store which became known as Carson Pirie Scott & Co. Two of Scott's sons, Robert L. and Frederick H., were members of the department store firm.
Chicago flagship store
The flagship store on
1960s–1980s expansion
In 1961, Carson Pirie Scott & Co. greatly expanded in Illinois by purchasing the 20 unit Block & Kuhl chain headquartered in Peoria.[3]
In 1980, to diversify its business, Carson Pirie Scott & Co. borrowed $108 million to buy Dobbs Houses, Inc., an airline caterer and owner of the Toddle House and Steak 'n Egg Kitchen restaurant chains. These were sold in 1988, as was the County Seat clothing chain.
In 1989, Carson Pirie Scott & Co. was acquired by P.A. Bergner & Co. (founded in Peoria), who operated the
Year | Description |
---|---|
1961 | Block & Kuhl stores rebranded Carson Pirie Scott |
1987 |
|
1989 | Carson Pirie Scott acquired by P.A. Bergner & Co. who operated the Boston Store chains
|
1998 | Proffitt's Inc., now Saks Incorporated, buys P. A. Bergner & Co. |
2005 | Saks sells Carson Pirie Scott as well as Bergner's, Younkers, Boston Store, and Herberger's to Bon-Ton Stores |
2018 | Bon-Ton liquidates its department stores |
Bergner's bankruptcy
In 1991,
Acquisition by Proffitt's/Saks
By 1998, Carson Pirie Scott & Co. ownership was held by
Sale to The Bon-Ton and store closings
Carson's and its associated stores became part of The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. in a $1.1 billion deal completed on March 6, 2006.[8] The group's merchandising and marketing base remained in Milwaukee.
Bon-Ton converted Elder-Beerman stores in Indiana and Michigan to the newly shortened Carson's name in 2011 and 2012.[9][10] The chain expanded into Metro Detroit in 2013 with the conversion of three Parisian stores.[11]
Bon-Ton announced on April 17, 2018 that they would cease operations and began liquidating all 267 stores after two liquidators, Great American Group and Tiger Capital Group, won an auction for the company. The bid was estimated to be worth $775.5 million. This included all remaining Carson's stores after 164 years of operation. According to national retail reporter Mitch Nolen, stores closed within 10 to 12 weeks.[12][13]
Reopening
The
Logos
See also
- Chicago architecture
- Edens Plaza -shopping center formerly owned by Carson's, and formerly featuring a Carson's location
References
- ^ "The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. 2011 Annual Report" (PDF). Files.shareholder.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-22. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
- ^ a b Zumbach, Lauren (September 21, 2018). "Carson's joins retailers seeking life after liquidation with online revival and bricks-and-mortar aspirations". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
- ^ Wilson, Mark R. "Carson Pirie Scott & Co.". Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ "Carson Pirie Scott & Company". Encyclopedia. 18 March 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ Strom, Stephanie (24 August 1991). "COMPANY NEWS; Bergner Stores Chain In Bankruptcy Filing". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2015-05-25. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ "Carson Pirie Stock Offering". The New York Times. 1 November 1993. Archived from the original on 2015-05-26. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ Writer, John Schmeltzer, Tribune Staff (31 October 1993). "CARSONS IS REBORN FROM BANKRUPTCY". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Investor Relations". Archived from the original on 2007-03-11. Retrieved 2006-03-08.
- ^ "Charlotte: Search Results". nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
- ^ "Elder-Beerman stores in Monroe swap name". Toledoblade.com. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
- ^ "Parisian department stores will be renamed Carson's | Shopping | Detroit Free Press | freep.com". www.freep.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ "Bon-Ton Stores to close (report)". syracuse.com. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
- ^ "Liquidators to wind down US department store chain Bon-Ton". CNBC. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
- ^ Lauren Zumbach (October 29, 2018). "Carson's reopening Evergreen Park store on Black Friday". Chicago Tribune.
- Times of Northwest Indiana.
Further reading
- Merwood‐Salisbury, Joanna. "Schlesinger and Mayer Department Store/Carson Pirie Scott: Louis Sullivan." Companion to the History of Architecture (2017): 1-10.
- Siry, Joseph. Carson Pirie Scott: Louis Sullivan and the Chicago Department Store (University of Chicago Press, 1988) online ISBN 0-226-76136-3