Pamida
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pamida | |
 |
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| Type of Company | Discount store |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1963 |
| Headquarters | Omaha, Nebraska |
| Industry | Retail |
| Products | Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, market, housewares. |
| Owner | ShopKo Stores, Inc. |
| Website | http://www.pamida.com/ |
Pamida is a chain of department stores in the United States of America operating as a division of ShopKo Stores, Inc. Pamida specializes in small communities, ranging from 3,000 to 8,000 people.
[edit] History
Pamida had its beginnings in a service merchandise business begun in 1948 by Jim Witherspoon and Lee Wegener. Witherspoon and Wegner opened their first retail outlet in Knoxville, Iowa in 1963 as part of the Gibson Products Company. A second store soon followed in Oskaloosa, Iowa and the stores quickly expanded throughout the midwest. By the late 1970s, the stores were no longer associated with Gibson Products and began to be called "Pamida". Witherspoon and Wegener sold Pamida in 1981 to employees, and in 1986 a unit of Citicorp acquired a controlling interest in the company. In 1999, ShopKo Stores, Inc. purchased Pamida and began operating the company as a separate division. Though many other locations have a strong economic foundation, Pamida made the decision to close its flagship store in Knoxville, Iowa in June of 2006.
[edit] Trivia
- The Pamida name represents the first two letters of the first names of Witherspoon's three sons, Pat, Mike, and David.
- The Pamida motto is "Bringing smaller communities what they want".
