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Burdines

From Alfawiki
Burdines
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryRetail (department store)
Founded1898
FounderWilliam M. Burdine and John Burdine
Defunct2005
FateRebranded as Macy's
Headquarters
Miami
,
United States
Area served
Florida, United States
OwnerFederated Department Stores (from 1956)

Burdines[lower-alpha 1] was a department store chain based in the United States, established in 1898 by William M. Burdine and his son John Burdine. Its operations were confined solely to Florida, with both its main store and corporate headquarters situated in Miami.[1] Initially starting as a carriage-trade retailer, it expanded into a comprehensive department store network known colloquially as "The Florida Store." The stores were distinguished by interior decorations featuring palm trees and a color palette of pink, blue, and other tropical-inspired hues. In 1956, Federated Department Stores (now Macy's, Inc.) acquired the chain. The brand was co-branded as Burdines–Macy's in 2004 before being fully rebranded to Macy's in 2005.

Founding and early growth

The origins of Burdines trace back to 1897 when Henry Payne partnered with William M. Burdine to launch a dry goods shop in Bartow, Florida.[1] A year later, Payne exited the partnership, prompting William to bring his son John into the business, leading to the renaming of the company as W.M. Burdine and Son. In 1898, Burdine purchased a city block on South Miami Avenue, just one block south of Flagler Street,[1] in what was then an emerging Miami community. That same year, he inaugurated the first W.M. Burdine & Son store at this location—only two years after the completion of the Florida East Coast Railway had brought settlers to the area and facilitated Miami’s incorporation. The modest shop stocked limited clothing items primarily catering to construction workers, Spanish–American War soldiers, and local Native American groups including the Miccosukee and Seminole tribes. Impressed by the volume of business in Miami, Burdine decided to close his Bartow store and relocate his headquarters to Miami, subsequently renaming the enterprise Burdines and Sons.[1]

Growth and takeover by Federated

File:Burdines.svg
Former Burdines logo

Following William's death in 1911, his other son, Roddy, assumed leadership of the company. By that time, Burdines had evolved into a comprehensive department store and was steadily broadening its reach. The 1920s Florida land boom facilitated the opening of its inaugural branch in Miami Beach. As Florida's population increased dramatically, Burdines expanded accordingly, launching four additional locations throughout the state over the subsequent three decades.

During the late 1940s, Burdines introduced an international mail-order service targeting Latin America. This initiative boosted the company’s prominence, with military personnel stationed in Cuba arranging for a supply vessel to travel to Miami biannually carrying Burdines orders.

In 1956, Burdines became part of Federated Department Stores, Inc. The financial backing from Federated enabled Burdines to extend its footprint northward and westward throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Starting in 1966, new Burdines stores were inaugurated in:

In 1971, the Burdines location at Dadeland Mall was recognized as the largest suburban department store south of New York. Additionally, beginning in 1960, Burdines experimented with automotive service centers at their 163rd St store and Miami warehouse after initial trials in Fort Lauderdale.

Transformation of Allied Outlets

File:Miami City Cemetery (31).jpg
The Burdine family mausoleum in the Miami City Cemetery

In 1991, after Federated merged with the Allied Stores Corporation in 1988 and underwent bankruptcy restructuring, Burdines took over Allied's Tampa-based Maas Brothers/Jordan Marsh Florida division. This process involved converting a majority of these stores into Burdines locations while shutting down the remainder. As a result, the total number of Burdines stores across Florida surged to fifty-eight, more than doubling from their original count of 27.

Throughout the 1990s, new Burdines outlets were launched at shopping centers including Pembroke Lakes Mall in Pembroke Pines within the Miami Metropolitan Area, Brandon Town Center in Brandon part of the Tampa Bay Area, and Seminole Towne Center located in Sanford in the Orlando Metropolitan Area.

Between 1999 and 2001, Burdines underwent significant expansion by opening seven additional stores and extensively refurbishing existing locations. These renovations featured lighter color schemes and enhanced interior designs. Among the most eagerly awaited store openings were those in the enlarged sections of The Florida Mall in Orlando and Aventura Mall in Aventura. Additional new outlets debuted alongside malls such as Citrus Park Town Center in Citrus Park and The Mall at Wellington Green in Wellington.

During this timeframe, Burdines experimented with an innovative store layout at its location within St. Petersburg's Tyrone Square Mall, aiming to enhance shopper convenience. This design introduced a central checkout system intended to allow customers to interact with a cashier only once before exiting. Unfortunately, the plan faltered because employees had to manually attach coded stickers—indicating the salesperson responsible—to each item's price tag prior to purchase completion. Consequently, Burdines swiftly abandoned this approach and reverted to conventional cashier arrangements.

Transition to Macy's

File:Burdines-Macy's Merger Logo.png
Burdines-Macy's transition logo

The original flagship store located in downtown Miami, constructed incrementally from the 1910s through the 1930s, continued operations as a Macy's until its closure in March 2018. In 2019, Ross Stores leased this historic building and undertook redevelopment efforts to relocate a nearby outlet that was scheduled for demolition due to plans for erecting a 92-story skyscraper. The renovation enabled an additional store presence on the building’s ground floor. This new Ross Dress for Less location officially opened on March 7, 2020.

See also

Notes

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References

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External links

Template:S-achTemplate:Succession box

Template:Macy's history


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