Corporate Office HQ

Blockbuster Corporate Office

Blockbuster

Blockbuster is a home movie and video game rental company that was founded by David Cook and opened its first store in Dallas, Texas in 1985. Stores were both owned and franchised. DVD-by-mail, streaming, online, and on-demand services were later added.

The company grew quickly throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s.

In 1990 Blockbuster bought out a big rival, Erol’s, and two music retail chains to start Blockbuster music.

History

In 1993 they proposed a merger with Viacom, but when both companies’ stocks fell, Viacom bought Blockbuster for over $8 billion.

Blockbuster separated from Viacom in 2004 when the company was at its peak with 60,000 employees and 9,000 stores.

From 2004 to 2010 Blockbuster faced increasingly fierce competition and had a business model that was increasingly difficult to maintain. In 2010 the company were delisted from the New York Stock Exchange when its stock was trading at less than $1 per share.

Blockbuster subsequently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection because of the competition from Netflix, Redbox, and on-demand movie services.

Blockbuster were bought by the Dish network in 2012, which closed down all but 350 stores nationwide.

Jackson Hewitt Corporate Office

Jackson Hewitt

Jackson Hewitt was founded in 1982 by a group of investors who bought Mel Jackson’s Tax Service and renamed it Jackson Hewitt.

The investors began selling franchises in 1986 and by the next year they had 22 offices.

Montgomery Ward contacted Jackson Hewitt in 1989 about opening offices in their 169 stores across the country. Their competitor, Sears, had been working with H&R Block for years in their stores.

History

In 1994 Mongomery Ward went public but no stock was issued; the investors’ private shares simply converted into public shares. The same year, the company entered into a trial period with offices in Sam’s Club stores. The trial was a success and Jackson Hewitt made plans to open offices in 18 Wal-Mart stores.

In 1997 Jackson Hewitt was bought by HFS Inc. for $480 million. HFS then changed its name to Cendant Corporation. The company subsequently opened 1,000 new offices.

In 2004, Jackson Hewitt was spun off as a separate company.

At its peak, the company handled 3.4 million tax returns per year, mostly for middle and low income customers through over 5,000 franchise offices.

Today Jackson Hewitt is the third largest service for the preparation of tax returns.

Jackson Hewitt was founded in 1982 by a group of investors who bought Mel Jackson's Tax Service and renamed it Jackson Hewitt. The investors began selling franchises in 1986 and by the next year they had 22 offices. Montgomery Ward contacted … [Continue reading] about Jackson Hewitt Corporate Office

AMC Theatres Corporate Office

AMC Theatres

Maurice, Edward and Barney Dubinksy founded AMC Theaters in 1920 when they purchased the Regent Theater in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

The name of the company changed to Durwood Theaters and later American Multi-Cinema, Inc. when Edward’s son, Stanley, took over the business in 1961.

History

Stanley realized he could run more than one movie at a time with the same amount of staff, and after slow expansion to two, four, and then six screens, AMC opened America’s first megaplex in 1995.

AMC grew and expanded to have megaplex theaters all over the world, including Portugal and the U.K.

The company introduced stadium-style seating, in which the seats are placed on risers so that each person has an unobstructed view of the screen. Many of these seats have adjustable armrests that can be raised to create “Love Seat” style seating. Both of these features have become standard for nearly all movie theaters built today by all major chains.

In 2012 the Dalian Wanda Group, a Chinese conglomerate, purchased AMC for $2.6 billion. The deal included AMC’s 5,048 screens in 347 U.S. and Canadian theaters, as well as theaters in France, the U.K., and Hong Kong.

In several areas, the company has introduced in-house dining, called Fork and Screen. Customers can order full meals, including alcoholic beverages. These theaters offer reserved seating, as well as a “call” button, which summons a server.

Today AMC Theaters has the second-largest share of the American market. The company is publicly traded on the NYSE under the ticker symbol: AMC.

In 2016, the company acquired Carmike Cinemas for $1.1 billion. This makes AMC Theaters the largest theater chain in the US. In April 2020, AMC announced that they were trying to raise more than $500 million to prevent the company from filing forbankruptcy.

AMC Theaters employs more than 34,000 persons in the US alone. In 2016, the company reported annual revenue of $3.235 billion. Headquarters for the company are located in Leawood, Kansas.

Maurice, Edward and Barney Dubinksy founded AMC Theaters in 1920 when they purchased the Regent Theater in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The name of the company changed to Durwood Theaters and later American Multi-Cinema, Inc. when Edward's son, … [Continue reading] about AMC Theatres Corporate Office

Dodge Corporate Office

Dodge

Dodge was founded by the Dodge brothers in 1900 as a supplier of parts for Detroit-based automobile manufacturers.

The Dodge brothers died suddenly in 1920, and in 1925 the company was sold to Dillon, Read, and Company. It was sold again to Chrysler in 1928.

During the oil crisis of 1973, the Dodge line came to be seen as inefficient and had to be downsized along with other Chrysler brands.

History

Over the past decades, Dodge has become well known for their trucks, including the popular Dodge Ram.

The new Dodge Challenger Hellcat, capable of speeds in the 200 MPH range, is causing some people to question if these cars should be banned.

Today Dodge vehicles are available all over the world, with big markets in Argentina, Asia, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and Europe.

Dodge was founded by the Dodge brothers in 1900 as a supplier of parts for Detroit-based automobile manufacturers. The Dodge brothers died suddenly in 1920, and in 1925 the company was sold to Dillon, Read, and Company. It was sold again to … [Continue reading] about Dodge Corporate Office

National Tire and Battery Corporate Office

National Tire and Battery

Sears, Roebuck and Company started National Tire and Battery (NTB) in 1997 by combining two of its Tire Brands: Tire America and National Tire Warehouse.

History

In 2003 NTB had 226 stores, $425 million in revenue, and $60 million in profit.

The Memphis based TBC Corporation bought the brand in 2003 for $260 million. The deal did not involve the approximately 800 Sears Auto Centers that were adjacent to Sears department stores.

In 2005 TBC was bought by Sumimoto Corporation of America and ended its 22-year stint as a publicly traded company on the NASDAQ.

In 2017, Big O Tire franchisor Mark Rhee purchased 44 NTB locations in Kansas, Iowa, and Missouri.

In 2018, Michelin North America and Sumitomo Corporation of Americas combined their respective North American tire distribution and related service operations in a 50–50 joint venture agreement, creating National Tire Wholesale.

Sears, Roebuck and Company started National Tire and Battery (NTB) in 1997 by combining two of its Tire Brands: Tire America and National Tire Warehouse. In 2003 NTB had 226 stores, $425 million in revenue, and $60 million in … [Continue reading] about National Tire and Battery Corporate Office