The Bon-Ton

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The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.
Type Public (NASDAQ: BONT)
Founded 1898
Headquarters York, Pennsylvania, Flag of the United States USA
Industry Retail
Products Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares.
Website http://www.bonton.com/

The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: BONT) is a regional department store company based in York, Pennsylvania, chiefly operating 268 department stores in 23 states throughout the northern United States under its namesake nameplate, as well as those of Elder-Beerman, Carson Pirie Scott, Younkers, Herberger's, Bergner's, Boston Store and Parisian. Additionally, eight furniture stores (with a ninth under construction) are operated by the corporation in select markets.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Beginnings

The Bon-Ton was started in 1898, when Max Grumbacher and his father, Samuel, opened S. Grumbacher & Son, a one-room millinery and dry goods store on Market Street in York, Pennsylvania. From the beginning, according to company material, the Grumbachers operated their business "with a close attention to detail and a conviction that business success would come to those who offered customers quality merchandise at a fair price with careful attention to their individual needs and wants."

As automobiles replaced horses and the country became more industrialized, through World War I and the Roaring Twenties, the Grumbachers continued to meet their customers' needs. The store grew bigger and, in 1929, the company was incorporated as S. Grumbacher & Son, Inc. In 1931, Max's son, Max Samuel (M.S.), joined the company. When Max the elder died in 1933, his widow, Daisy, and their two sons, M.S. and Richard, continued the business, forming a partnership in 1936. Following World War II, the family decided to expand operations. In 1946 a second Bon-Ton was opened, in Hanover, Pennsylvania. Two years later, the company moved outside Pennsylvania, acquiring Eyerly's in Hagerstown, Maryland, and in 1957 purchasing McMeen's in Lewistown, Pennsylvania. These early moves set Bon-Ton's policy of growing into adjacent areas by opening new stores and acquiring existing businesses.

[edit] Early Expansion

During the next three decades, The Bon-Ton Stores continued to expand. In 1961, M.S.'s son, M. Thomas "Tim," entered the business, representing the fourth generation of Grumbachers. During the 1960s, the company opened new Eyerly's and Bon-Ton stores in several Pennsylvania communities and one in West Virginia. They also started a discount chain, Mailman's, and, in 1969, retired the McMeen's name. During the 1970s, as the popularity of shopping centers began to grow, Bon-Ton opened 11 new stores in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The 1980s formed a period of rapid consolidation in the retail department store industry as major chains bought their competitors. The Bon-Ton Stores began the decade by opening more stores, establishing a new division, Maxwell's, and acquiring Fowler's department store in New York. When Tim Grumbacher was made CEO in 1985, the company operated 18 stores in four states. Two years later the company made a major move, buying the 11-store Pomeroy's chain from Allied Department Stores. That purchase made it possible for the company to move into seven new markets in Pennsylvania.

In July 1994, The Bon-Ton purchased the 127-year old Adam, Meldrum, and Anderson Department Stores AM&A's based in Buffalo, NY for $42.6 million. Around the same time, The Bon-Ton also purchased Chappell's of Syracuse, New York and Hess's of Allentown, Pennsylvania. The Bon-Ton initially retained and operated Hess's flagship location up until 1996, when it closed after over 100 years of continued operation. The site was eventually demolished.

[edit] 2006 Acquisitions

Alternate logo
Alternate logo

Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Herberger's, and Younkers officially joined the corporation on March 6, 2006, following a completed acquisition of Saks Incorporated's Northern Department Store Group (NDSG). The 142 stores, operating under those five names, retain their nameplates under the new ownership. [1] The buying, private brand product development and marketing functions for the company were consolidated into the NDSG's Corporate offices in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Finance, legal and IT functions for all locations were consolidated into the Bon-Ton's corporate offices in York, Pennsylvania.

In October 2006, Bon-Ton purchased four existing Parisian stores from Belk, as well as rights for construction on a fifth store. [2] These stores are:

Indiana

Michigan

Ohio

The Indiana store was converted to a Carson Pirie Scott location in February 2007, while the Ohio store was converted to a second Elder-Beerman store in its mall. The three Michigan locations, however, have all retained the Parisian name.[1]

[edit] Locations

The following is a list of all stores currently operating as The Bon-Ton. Locations for additional Bon-Ton nameplates can be found at their respective articles.

Connecticut

  • Hamden: Hamden Mart 58,900 sq ft (5,470 m²). (Opened 1999 in former Howland-Steinbach)

Maryland

  • Frederick: Frederick Towne Mall 77,900 sq ft (7,240 m²). (Opened 1972)
  • Hagerstown: Valley Mall 126,000 sq ft (11,700 m²). (Opened 1974)
  • LaVale: Country Club Mall 74,241 sq ft (6,897 m²). (Opened 1981)

Massachusetts

  • Westfield: Westfield Shops 50,600 sq ft (4,700 m²). (Opened 1998 in former Stieger's)

New Hampshire

  • Concord: Steeplegate Mall 87,000 square feet (Opened November 1999 in former Steinbach)

New Jersey

  • Brick: Brick Plaza 53,500 sq ft (4,970 m²). (Opened September 1999 in former Steinbach)
  • Phillipsburg: Phillipsburg Mall - 65,000 sq ft (6,000 m²). (originally Hess's)

New York

Pennsylvania

  • Allentown: Allentown South Mall - 101,841 sq ft (9,461 m²). (originally Hess's) (Opened 1994)
  • Bethlehem: Westgate Mall (originally Hess's) 102,000 sq ft (9,500 m²).
  • Bloomsburg: Columbia Mall (Opened 1988) 46,100 square feet (4,280 m²)
  • Butler: Clearview Mall 100,800 sq ft (9,360 m²). (Opened 1982)
  • Camp Hill: near Capital City Mall (originally Pomeroy's) 145,200 sq ft (13,490 m²). (Opened 1987)
  • Carlisle: Carlisle Plaza Mall 59,900 sq ft (5,560 m²). (Opened 1977)
  • Chambersburg: Chambersburg Mall - 54,842 sq ft (5,095 m²). (Opened 1985)
  • Cranberry: Cranberry Mall 45,200 sq ft.(Opened 1982)
  • Doylestown: Doylestown Shopping Center (originally Hess's) 55,500 sq ft (5,160 m²). (Opened 1994)
  • Dubois, The Commons,
  • Easton: Palmer Park Mall - 122,125 sq ft (11,346 m²). (originally Hess's) (Opened 1994)
  • Erie: Millcreek Mall (originally Horne's, then Elder Beerman) 119,815 sq ft (11,131 m²).
  • Frackville: Schuylkill Mall - 60,916 sq ft (5,659 m²). (originally Pomeroy's) 61,100 sq ft (5,680 m²). (Opened 1987)
  • Greensburg: Westmoreland Mall 100,000 sq ft (10,000 m²). (formerly Troutman's then Pomeroy's) (Opened 1987)
  • Hanover: North Hanover Mall - 60,000 sq ft (6,000 m²). main store, 7,469 sq ft (694 m²). home store (Opened 1971)
  • Harrisburg: Colonial Park Mall (originally Pomeroy's) 136,500 sq ft (12,680 m²). (Opened 1987)
  • Indiana: Indiana Mall 60,400 sq ft (5,610 m²). (Opened 1979)
  • Johnstown: Galleria Mall 80,900 sq ft (7,520 m²). (Opened 1992)
  • Lancaster: Park City Center (originally Watt & Shand) 144,800 sq ft (13,450 m²). (Opened 1992)
  • Lewistown: Lewistown Mall (opened 1957)
  • Quakertown: Richland Mall, 88,100 sq ft (8,180 m²). (Opened 1994)
  • Reading / Wyomissing: Berkshire Mall, 159,400 sq ft (14,810 m²). (originally Pomeroy's) (Opened 1987)
  • Pennsdale: Lycoming Mall - 60,903 sq ft (5,658 m²). (Opened 1986)
  • Scranton: Mall at Steamtown - 113,180 sq ft (10,515 m²). (originally Montgomery Ward)
  • Selinsgrove: Susquenhanna Valley Mall - 90,000 sq ft (8,000 m²). (Opened 1978)
  • State College: Nittany Mall - 61,288 sq ft (5,694 m²) (originally Hess's) (Opened 1994)
  • Stroudsburg: Stroud Mall (originally Hess's) 87,000 sq ft (8,100 m²). (Opened 1994)
  • Trexlertown: The Shops at Trexler (originally Hess's) 54,000 sq ft (5,000 m²). (Opened 1994)
  • Uniontown: Uniontown Mall - main store - 60,728 sq ft (5,642 m²)., home store - 9,454 sq ft (878 m²)., and kids store - 9,556 sq ft (888 m²). (Opened 1976)
  • Warren, Pennsylvania: Warren Mall, North Market st (Opened 1980) 50,000 square feet (5,000 m²)
  • Washington: Washington Crown Center (formerly Troutman's then Pomeroy's) - 78,129 sq ft (7,258 m²).
  • Wilkes-Barre: Wyoming Valley Mall - 155,912 sq ft (14,485 m²). (Opened 1987)
  • Wyoming: Midway Shopping Center, 66,000 square feet. ( opened 1987) (fomer Pomeroy's)
  • Wyomissing: Berkshire Mall (formerly Lit Brothers, later Pomeroy's)
  • York
  • Queensgate Shopping Center 85,100 sq ft (7,910 m²). (Opened 1962)
  • West Manchester Mall 80,200 sq ft (7,450 m²). (Opened 1981)
  • York Galleria Mall 132,000 sq ft (12,300 m²). (Opened 1989)

Vermont

West Virginia

  • Martinsburg: Martinsburg Mall 65,800 sq ft (6,110 m²). (Opened 1994)

[edit] Former Locations

[edit] Georgia

  • Rome - Riverbend Mall (originally Miller's, later Hess's, converted to Bon-Ton in 1994, closed shortly afterward. Mall torn down)

[edit] New Jersey

  • Red Bank: 53,300 sq ft (4,950 m²). (opened 1999 in former Steinbach; now closed)

[edit] New York

[edit] Pennsylvania

[edit] References

  1. ^ Parisian in Downtown Indianapolis to Undergo Changes - Newsroom - Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick
  2. ^ Reading Eagle, Pa., business briefs. (brief article)

[edit] External links

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The Bon-Ton
Stock Symbol: NASDAQ: BONT · Website: www.bonton.com