Marshalls
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (November 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
- For the islands often known simply as the Marshalls, see Marshall Islands.
| Marshalls, Inc. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | Department store |
| Founded | 1956 (Beverly, Massachusetts) |
| Headquarters | Framingham, Massachusetts |
| Industry | Retail |
| Products | Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. |
| Website | www.marshallsonline.com |
Marshalls, Inc., is a chain of American department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 750 conventional stores, as well as larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store, covering 42 states and Puerto Rico. Marshalls is the U.S.'s second largest off-price family apparel and home fashion retailer, behind its sister company, TJ Maxx. Since Summer 2006, actress Wendie Malick has provided the voice over for Marshalls' commercials.
Contents |
[edit] History
Marshalls traces its history to 1956, when Alfred Marshall gathered a band of innovative entrepreneurs on the East Coast. Contemplating the dual postwar phenomena of a boom in the economy and growth in the suburbs, Marshall and associates came upon a way to meet it profitably. Together, they opened a self-service department store in Beverly, Massachusetts, offering apparel and homewares at alluringly low prices.
The concept proved extremely successful; ten years later, Marshalls had become the leading off-price retail chain in the nation. Given the volatility of the American economy in the 1970s, with recession affecting the spending habits of most shoppers, the off-price industry gathered speed. By buying up manufacturers’ post-season, over-run, and close-out stock, Marshalls was able to offer fashionable, high-quality “designer” items at prices 20 to 60 percent less than those of the department stores.
In 1975, Marshalls was acquired by the Melville Corporation (owner of CVS). By 1993 Marshalls had expanded throughout 42 states including Hawaii, and had opened several downtown locations. In 1995, Marshalls was purchased by TJX, the parent company of its main rival, TJ Maxx, from the Melville Corporation for US$606 million.
On March 31, 2008, Marshalls launched the What's In community. This site allows users to send and receive alerts via email or text message when their favorite brands are spotted in their local Marshalls stores. Users can also post pictures and create polls featuring their latest fashion finds.
[edit] Legal troubles
TJX paid a US$10 million settlement in California to settle an employee class-action suit in 2002, which alleged that Marshalls abused exempt/nonexempt classifications to avoid the payment of overtime or compensation time to employees in certain roles performing non-exempt job duties, as required by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
[edit] Charity
The enterprise has developed national and local partnerships with U.S. charitable organizations. All donations and fund-raising efforts from Marshalls are connected to helping children, families, and their communities with these programs:
- Domestic Violence Prevention
- United Way
- National Youth Anti-Drug Campaign
- Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
[edit] Famous Employees
Liz Brown, daughter of James Brown, the GodFather of Soul
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
|
||||||||
