Powers Dry Goods

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The Powers Dry Goods Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota was a department store chain that its peak consisted of 7 locations.

In 1985, it was acquired from Associated Dry Goods by The Donaldson Company (also of Minneapolis, a unit of Allied Stores Corp.), which gave Donaldson's some breathing room against dominant rival Dayton's. In 1987, after Campeau Corp.'s buy-out of Allied Stores Corp., Donaldson's was purchased by Carson Pirie Scott & Co. of Chicago, Illinois which made the ill-fated decision to rename the stores with its own name.

Carson's in its turn was acquired by P.A. Bergner & Co. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (and formerly of Peoria, Illinois) in 1989, which in turn filed for bankruptcy in 1991. In 1995 Carson's sold the rump of the former Minneapolis locations (formerly Powers/Donaldsons) to Dayton's parent Dayton Hudson Corp., which re-opened most of them under its moderate Mervyn's chain, mostly in a move to prevent serious competition in its Twin Cities stronghold. In 2004 when Dayton's successor Marshall Field's was acquired by May Department Stores, it also agreed to buy the former Donaldson/Powers locations operated by Mervyn's, and promptly shuttered them, selling the real-estate piecemeal.

[edit] Former Locations

City Shopping center Existed Notes
Minneapolis, Minnesota Downtown Store unknown
St. Louis Park, Minnesota Knollwood Mall 1955-1985
St. Paul, Minnesota Highland Park 1960-1985
Blaine, Minnesota Northtown Mall 1972-1985
Maplewood, Minnesota Maplewood Mall 1974-1985
Eden Prairie, Minnesota Eden Prairie Center 1976-1985
Burnsville, Minnesota Burnsville Center 1977-1985