Corporate Office HQ

The Finish Line Corporate Office

The Finish Line

The Finish Line actually began operations in October of 1976 when three friends decided to take over The Athlete’s Foot franchise in Indianapolis, Indiana. By 1981, these business partners had opened more than 10 locations. Wanting to expand beyond Indiana’s borders, the owners created their own company, The Finish Line.

History

The Finish Line had more than 100 stores by October 1991. The company went public in 1992. Today, The Finish Line has more than 670 locations. Each store features a “shoe wall” where more than 1300 brands of shoes are displayed. The company offers a wide variety of athletic shoes for almost every sport imaginable, along with a selection of casual shoes and sandals.

The company also features brand-name athletic wear, such as Nike, North Face, Adidas, Oakley, and Under Armour as well as hats, sunglasses, and logo t-shirts.

The Finish Line is publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol: FINL.

Finish Line maintains a corporate office in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Finish Line actually began operations in October of 1976 when three friends decided to take over The Athlete's Foot franchise in Indianapolis, Indiana. By 1981, these business partners had opened more than 10 locations. Wanting to expand beyond … [Continue reading] about The Finish Line Corporate Office

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Corporate Office

Ollie's Bargain Outlet

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet was founded in 1982 by Morton Bernstein and Oliver Rosenberg in Mechanicsville, Pennsylvania. The company takes its name from Rosenberg and features cartoon pictures of him throughout the stores, in advertising, and on merchandise. Rosenberg passed away in 1996.

History

The company specializes in surplus merchandise from a wide variety of retailers across the U.S., including going out of business sales, bankruptcy, or overstocked merchandise clearance items. Items sold are as varied as the companies that sell to Ollie’s including clothing, bedding, small appliances, pet supplies, sporting goods, electronics, toys, luggage, home improvement, and hardware.

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet now 181 locations in 16 states. In July of 2015, the company went public on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol: OLLI.

The company also sponsors NASCAR racing, including the #33 Chevy Silverado driven by Ron Hornaday.

After posting lower than expected sales in the third quarter of 2020, it’s anyone’s guess what the 4th quarter holds in store for Ollie’s stockholders.

In November 2020, Ollie’s partnered with the charity Toys for Tots.

In March 2022, Barron’s suggested that Ollie’s stock would jump dramatically in the next few weeks.

The company maintains a corporate office in Harrisburg, Pennslyvania.

Ollie's Bargain Outlet was founded in 1982 by Morton Bernstein and Oliver Rosenberg in Mechanicsville, Pennsylvania. The company takes its name from Rosenberg and features cartoon pictures of him throughout the stores, in advertising, and on … [Continue reading] about Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Corporate Office

Jeremys Corporate Office

Jeremys

Jeremys, a high end department store with two locations, was founded in 1987 by current CEO Jeremy Kidson. The original store was named New West and was only one small rented storefront that was open on Saturdays. The company mainly offered clothing samples purchased from local clothing manufacturers. As demand increased, Kidson enlarged his store, added more locations, and was soon selling women’s clothing, shoes, handbags, accessories. Kidson later added menswear and shoes to his stores. The company changed their name to Jeremys in 1993 when Estee Lauder insisted that the name New West was their trademark and demanded that the company stop using it.

From a single storefront in Berkley, California, Jeremys has grown to 4 locations in Berkley and another location in San Francisco. Jeremys recently introduced bridal gowns, shoes, and accessories to their product line.

History

Ben Franklin Corporate Office

Ben Franklin Stores

Ben Franklin Stores were originally named Butler Brothers stores. The company was founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1877. The company had more than 100,000 customers at the turn of the century. The company founded the Ben Franklin name in 1927 and the chain was sold in 1959.

The founder of Walmart, Sam Walton, began his retail chain inside of a Ben Franklin location, as well as the creator of Michael’s Craft Stores, Michael Dupey, who converted a Ben Franklin store into his first retail location.

The company filed for bankruptcy in 1996. Some locations were sold to their franchise owners, others closed permanently.

History

Today, the company is owned by Promotions Unlimited, which was the supplier of many of the craft items sold at Ben Franklin stores. Promotions Unlimited operates 209 craft stores and 123 variety stores. Some Ben Franklin locations also contain pharmacies, others provide clothing. Most locations are found in small towns across the United States.

Variety Wholesalers Corporate Office

Variety Wholesalers

Variety Wholesalers was founded in 1930 by the Pope family. John Pope took over the family business in 1949 and began expanding the company to include numerous stores in the southeast including Roses, Roses Express, Maxway, Super 10, Bargain Town, Bill’s Dollar Store, and Super Dollar.

History

Today, the company owns more than 380 locations and employs almost 8,000 persons. Variety Wholesalers is still privately held by the Pope family. The current CEO is Art Pope. Variety Wholesalers is headquartered in Henderson, North Carolina.

The company is made up of 3 main divisions; Roses stores, which consist of 160 locations. Roses stores are discount stores that average more than 50,000 square feet. Second are the Maxway stores, with 135 locations selling junior clothing. Super 10 makes up the last division, with 85 locations. Most Super 10 stores are no more than 5,000 to 10,000 square feet.

The company continues to expand, with the most recent Roses store opening in December 2022 in North Coventry, Pennsylvania.