Corporate Office HQ

Retail

Payless Corporate Office

Payless Holdings was founded in 1956 by brothers Louis and Shaol Pozez in Topeka, Kansas.

In 1961 the company went public as Volume Shoe Corporation which later merged with May Department Stores Company in 1979.

In 1996 Payless became an independent publicly held company.

In 2007 the company acquired Stride Rite Corporation and changed its name to Collective Brands, Inc.

Payless was purchased in 2012 by Wolverine World Wide, Blum Capital, and Golden Gate Capital for $1.32 billion.

In 2017, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and emerged later that same year after reorganizing its debts.

Today Payless has almost 5,000 stores globally in the United States, Barbados, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand.

Payless has 26,800 employees and had $2.8 billion in revenue in 2012.

Payless

Payless Holdings was founded in 1956 by brothers Louis and Shaol Pozez in Topeka, Kansas.

In 1961 the company went public as Volume Shoe Corporation which later merged with May Department Stores Company in 1979.

In 1996 Payless became an independent publicly held company.

History

In 2007 the company acquired Stride Rite Corporation and changed its name to Collective Brands, Inc.

Payless was purchased in 2012 by Wolverine World Wide, Blum Capital, and Golden Gate Capital for $1.32 billion.

In 2017, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and emerged later that same year after reorganizing its debts.

Today Payless has almost 5,000 stores globally in the United States, Barbados, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand.

Payless has 26,800 employees and had $2.8 billion in revenue in 2012.

Kate Spade Corporate Office

Kate Spade Purse

Kate Brosnahan Spade started Kate Spade New York under the name Kate Spade Handbags in 1993 when she set out to design the perfect handbag.

Ms. Spade was a former accessories editor at Mademoiselle. Through her time at Mademoiselle, she noticed that the market lacked stylish and sensible handbags. This inspired her to create a line of handbags with classic shapes, colors, and fabrics.

The brand was sold to Neiman Marcus in 1996 and was then expanded to include stationary, personal organizers, address books, beauty products, perfume, raincoats, pajamas, and eyewear.

In 2004 Kate Spade Home was launched, featuring bedding, bath items, china, wallpaper, and other home products.

Kate Spade Basic Black Bag

In 2007 the company was sold to Fifth & Pacific, formerly known as Liz Claiborne Inc.

In 2008 the new owners cashed out and a new management was installed. The new leadership then expanded the brand to jewelry, shoes, baby, fragrance, and gifts.

Kate Spade apparently committed suicide in her Manhattan apartment. She was 55.

Today Kate Spade New York is a global company with stores in Tokyo, London, Paris, and Germany. The company has retail, wholesale, and e-commerce business. Kate Spade had $462 million in sales in 2012.

Kate Spade in Store

Kate Spade

Kate Spade Purse

Kate Brosnahan Spade started Kate Spade New York under the name Kate Spade Handbags in 1993 when she set out to design the perfect handbag.

Ms. Spade was a former accessories editor at Mademoiselle. Through her time at Mademoiselle, she noticed that the market lacked stylish and sensible handbags. This inspired her to create a line of handbags with classic shapes, colors, and fabrics.

History

The brand was sold to Neiman Marcus in 1996 and was then expanded to include stationary, personal organizers, address books, beauty products, perfume, raincoats, pajamas, and eyewear.

In 2004 Kate Spade Home was launched, featuring bedding, bath items, china, wallpaper, and other home products.

Kate Spade Basic Black Bag

In 2007 the company was sold to Fifth & Pacific, formerly known as Liz Claiborne Inc.

In 2008 the new owners cashed out and a new management was installed. The new leadership then expanded the brand to jewelry, shoes, baby, fragrance, and gifts.

Kate Spade apparently committed suicide in her Manhattan apartment. She was 55.

Today Kate Spade New York is a global company with stores in Tokyo, London, Paris, and Germany. The company has retail, wholesale, and e-commerce business. Kate Spade had $462 million in sales in 2012.

Kate Spade in Store

First Cash Financial Services Inc. Corporate Office

First Cash Financial Services Inc. was founded in 1988 in Arlington, Texas.

The company operates 866 retail-based pawn and consumer finance stores in the United States and Mexico and operates in three segments: U.S. pawn operations, U.S. consumer loan operations, and Mexico operations.

The pawn stores lend money with the collateral of personal property, such as electronics, appliances, jewelry, musical instruments, sporting goods, and tools. They also sell this merchandise if forfeited.

The company also provides short-term loans (known as payday loans) and credit services.

First Cash Financial Services Inc. operates pawn stores under the names First Cash Pawn and  Famous Pawn and payday loans and financial services as First Cash Advance, and Cash & Go.

First Cash Financial Services is publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker FCFS. The company had $338.68 million in profit on $660.85 million in revenue.

 

First Cash Financial Services Inc.

First Cash Financial Services Inc. was founded in 1988 in Arlington, Texas.

The company operates 866 retail-based pawn and consumer finance stores in the United States and Mexico and operates in three segments: U.S. pawn operations, U.S. consumer loan operations, and Mexico operations.

The pawn stores lend money with the collateral of personal property, such as electronics, appliances, jewelry, musical instruments, sporting goods, and tools. They also sell this merchandise if forfeited.

History

The company also provides short-term loans (known as payday loans) and credit services.

First Cash Financial Services Inc. operates pawn stores under the names First Cash Pawn and  Famous Pawn and payday loans and financial services as First Cash Advance, and Cash & Go.

First Cash Financial Services is publicly traded on the NASDAQ under the ticker FCFS. The company had $338.68 million in profit on $660.85 million in revenue.

 

Trader Joe’s Corporate Office

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Trader Joe’s was founded by Joe Coulombe in 1958 as a convenience store chain called Pronto Market. The stores were similar to 7-Eleven stores. Coulombe felt that direct competition with 7-Eleven would be ruinous, so he changed the concept of his stores.

After a vacation in the Carribean, Coulombe decided that a “Tiki” theme would be pleasing. He noticed that more and more people were returning from their vacations with food items they enjoyed. Coulombe decided that he would experiment by ordering food and wines that were not easily found in regular supermarkets. This is still true today and one of the reasons why Trader Joe’s is such as success. TJ 5

The first “Trader Joe’s” opened in 1967 on Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena, California. The first stores featured fresh meat from butchers who leased space in the stores, freshly squeezed orange juice, fresh cut cheese, and sandwich shops.

Theo Albrecht of Aldi Nord bought Trader Joe’s in 1979 and began to expand the company beyond California.

Between 1990 and 2001 the chain quintupled store numbers and multiplied its profit by ten.  Trader Joe’s sales for 2015 were estimated to be as much as $13 billion.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Trader Joe’s supermarkets have about 4,000 products, compared to about 50,000 in an average supermarket. 80% of these products are private label brands. Trader Joe’s stocks gourmet foods, organic foods, vegetarian foods, unusual frozen foods, imported foods, domestic and imported wine and beer, and staples like bread, eggs, cereal, and produce. TJ 1

Trader Joe’s has an excellent reputation as a fair employer, paying above union wages. It was also part of MSN Money’s Customer Service Hall of Fame in 2009 and 2010.

The company is the exclusive retailer of Charles Shaw Wines, often referred to as Two Buck Chuck because of its original $1.99 price tag.

Beginning in 2008, the company began phasing out products from China due to customer concerns about purity and quality. Trader Joe’s sells many items under its own private labels, at a significant discount to brand-name equivalents, and requires its brand-name suppliers not to publicize this business relationship.

Post pandemic shopping habits have changed and Trader Joe’s might suffer because of it. 

In September 2020, Whole Foods took the #1 spot over Trader Joe’s as the best workplace for graduates according to Forbes. 

Today Trader Joe’s has 474 stores in 43 states, with the heaviest concentration in California. The company is constantly expanding, with many stores carrying as much as 50,000 items. Headquarters remain in Monrovia, California.

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Trader Joe's

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Trader Joe’s was founded by Joe Coulombe in 1958 as a convenience store chain called Pronto Market. The stores were similar to 7-Eleven stores. Coulombe felt that direct competition with 7-Eleven would be ruinous, so he changed the concept of his stores.

After a vacation in the Carribean, Coulombe decided that a “Tiki” theme would be pleasing. He noticed that more and more people were returning from their vacations with food items they enjoyed. Coulombe decided that he would experiment by ordering food and wines that were not easily found in regular supermarkets. This is still true today and one of the reasons why Trader Joe’s is such as success. TJ 5

History

The first “Trader Joe’s” opened in 1967 on Arroyo Parkway in Pasadena, California. The first stores featured fresh meat from butchers who leased space in the stores, freshly squeezed orange juice, fresh cut cheese, and sandwich shops.

Theo Albrecht of Aldi Nord bought Trader Joe’s in 1979 and began to expand the company beyond California.

Between 1990 and 2001 the chain quintupled store numbers and multiplied its profit by ten.  Trader Joe’s sales for 2015 were estimated to be as much as $13 billion.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Trader Joe’s supermarkets have about 4,000 products, compared to about 50,000 in an average supermarket. 80% of these products are private label brands. Trader Joe’s stocks gourmet foods, organic foods, vegetarian foods, unusual frozen foods, imported foods, domestic and imported wine and beer, and staples like bread, eggs, cereal, and produce. TJ 1

Trader Joe’s has an excellent reputation as a fair employer, paying above union wages. It was also part of MSN Money’s Customer Service Hall of Fame in 2009 and 2010.

The company is the exclusive retailer of Charles Shaw Wines, often referred to as Two Buck Chuck because of its original $1.99 price tag.

Beginning in 2008, the company began phasing out products from China due to customer concerns about purity and quality. Trader Joe’s sells many items under its own private labels, at a significant discount to brand-name equivalents, and requires its brand-name suppliers not to publicize this business relationship.

Post pandemic shopping habits have changed and Trader Joe’s might suffer because of it. 

In September 2020, Whole Foods took the #1 spot over Trader Joe’s as the best workplace for graduates according to Forbes. 

Today Trader Joe’s has 474 stores in 43 states, with the heaviest concentration in California. The company is constantly expanding, with many stores carrying as much as 50,000 items. Headquarters remain in Monrovia, California.

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Big Y Corporate Office

Brothers Paul and Gerry D’Amour bought the Y Cash Market in Chicopee, MA in 1936. Y Cash Market was at an intersection where two roads converged to form a Y.

In 1947 the D’Amour brothers opened a second Y Cash Market store. In 1952 the brothers opened a 10,000 square foot store in Chicopee, MA, near the Westover Air Base. Because the store was bigger and more modern than other supermarkets in the area, the brothers named the store “Big Y Supermarket.”

In 1960 the brothers expanded to Northampton, Massachusetts with a 30,000 square foot store, the biggest in Western Massachusetts at the time. By 1968 the company had six locations.

Big Y turned 50 in 1986; on this anniversary the chain had 21 locations and 1,600 employees.

Today Big Y has 60 locations in Massachusetts and Connecticut, many of which are located in the metropolitan areas of Springfield, Worcester, and Hartford. Big Y is one of the largest independently-owned supermarket chains in New England and employs 8,500 people.

Big Y Foods

Brothers Paul and Gerry D’Amour bought the Y Cash Market in Chicopee, MA in 1936. Y Cash Market was at an intersection where two roads converged to form a Y.

In 1947 the D’Amour brothers opened a second Y Cash Market store. In 1952 the brothers opened a 10,000 square foot store in Chicopee, MA, near the Westover Air Base. Because the store was bigger and more modern than other supermarkets in the area, the brothers named the store “Big Y Supermarket.”

In 1960 the brothers expanded to Northampton, Massachusetts with a 30,000 square foot store, the biggest in Western Massachusetts at the time. By 1968 the company had six locations.

History

Big Y turned 50 in 1986; on this anniversary the chain had 21 locations and 1,600 employees.

Today Big Y has 60 locations in Massachusetts and Connecticut, many of which are located in the metropolitan areas of Springfield, Worcester, and Hartford. Big Y is one of the largest independently-owned supermarket chains in New England and employs 8,500 people.