Consumer Goods

Peebles Corporate Office

Peebles was founded in 1891 by W.S. Peebles in Lawrenceville, Virginia. The company operates a chain of department stores, featuring brand name clothing and footwear.

The company acquired numerous stores over the years, including Harvey Stores in 1988 and Watson’s in 1998. Peebles was purchased by Stage Stores in 2003 for $167 million in cash and $46.9 million in debts.

Today, the company has 269 locations in 28 states. Most locations are found in small to medium sized towns in the east and upper Midwest part of the US.

Peebles

Peebles was founded in 1891 by W.S. Peebles in Lawrenceville, Virginia. The company operates a chain of department stores, featuring brand name clothing and footwear.

Today, the company has 269 locations in 28 states. Most locations are found in small to medium sized towns in the east and upper Midwest part of the US.

History

BrandsMart USA Corporate Office

BrandsMart USA was founded by current CEO Robert Perlman in 1977 in Miami, Florida. The company is incorporated under the Interbond Corporation, and does business under the names of BrandsMart USA and BrandsMart. The original location is no longer used. The company moved to a larger warehouse, more than 186,000 square feet, a few years later.

Today, BrandsMart USA has 11 stores in Florida and Georgia. The company has approximately 3,000 full time employees and claims to be the largest volume retailer in the US. Each store stocks a large assortment of televisions, consumer electronics, furniture, appliances, computers, and cameras.

Each location has a unique octagonal design, along with a mezzanine, which allows almost every department in the store to be viewed from almost every location inside the store. BrandsMart USA claims to have more than 50,000 items in each location, and even more at their eCommerce site.

In March 2020, despite the coronavirus pandemic, Brandsmart stated that their stores would remain open.

In mid-September 2020, several Brandsmart parking lots were being used as drive-through COVID testing centers.

The company maintains a corporate office in Hollywood, Florida.

BrandsMart USA

History

In March 2020, despite the coronavirus pandemic, Brandsmart stated that their stores would remain open.

In mid-September 2020, several Brandsmart parking lots were being used as drive-through COVID testing centers.

The company maintains a corporate office in Hollywood, Florida.

Herberger’s Corporate Office

Herberger’s was founded by Bob Herberger in Osakis, Minnesota, in 1927. The company became incorporated in 1947 as a means of opening up new locations. The company operates a chain of department stores, mostly in the Midwest.

After several sales and mergers, Herberger’s was sold to Bon-Ton stores in 2006 for $101 billion. The company continues to operate as a subsidiary of Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. The company currently has 41 locations. Herberger’s recently rolled out a new program “buy online, pick up here”, where customers could purchase items online and pick them up from the store of their choosing.

The company continues to expand, with new locations being planned, or current locations being expanded. Herberger’s has faced legal issues regarding their janitorial employees. A group of employees sued the company in mid-2015 for lack of payment and lack of overtime pay.

Herberger's

History

Joseph-Beth Booksellers Corporate Office

Joseph-Beth Booksellers was founded in 1986 in Lexington, Kentucky, by Neil Joseph and Mary Beth Van Uum. The company name is derived from their middle names combined. The company is an independent bookstore, currently, with 4 locations.

In 1997, the company acquired 4 David-Kidd Book Stores. The company expanded to a total of 9 locations before filing for bankruptcy in 2010. Four locations were sold at auction in 2011, the others liquidated. The current CEO, Mark Wilson, is the former COO of Joseph-Beth.

Mark Wilson has stated he intends to make numerous changes to keep the company profitable, including personally reading each email sent by customers, to adding plenty of kiosks, both manned and self service, so customers do not have to wait in long lines for service. The company has also expanded their eCommerce site.

Joseph-Beth Booksellers introduced a coffee bar in 2014 and has plans for expansion, although no firm date has been set.

Joseph-Beth Booksellers

History

Joseph-Beth Booksellers introduced a coffee bar in 2014 and has plans for expansion, although no firm date has been set.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe Corporate Office

Tropical Smoothie Cafe was founded as a single fruit smoothie shop in 1993 by Eric and Delora Jenrich, along with David Walker. By 1997, the company had grown and was offering franchises. By 1999, the company began to offer other health food items, such as sandwiches and wraps. By 2007, the company was growing at a tremendous rate, with a store opening, on average, every 7 days.

The company was purchased by a private equity firm, BIP, in 2012. The company rolled out new menus, offering items to vegans, and a non-GMO meat substitute called Beyond Meat. Beyond Meat is a blend of protein powders.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe rolls out limited time offers of special drink blends or combo meal prices, three to four times each year. The company states that 50 percent of their sales come from food, the other half from fruit smoothies. There are currently more than 850 Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s in the US.