Carson's
| File:Carson's logo.svg | |
| Carson's | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1854 in Chicago, Illinois |
| Founders | Samuel Carson John Pirie |
| Defunct | 2018 (original company) |
| Fate | Bankruptcy filing and restructuring |
Number of locations | 0 (peak count: 51 stores)[1] |
| Products | Apparel, shoes, bedding, furniture, jewelry, cosmetics, home goods |
| Parent |
|
| Website | carsons |
Carson Pirie Scott & Co.—commonly referred to as Carson's—is a United States-based department store chain established in 1854. It expanded to operate more than fifty outlets mainly throughout the Midwestern United States. In 2006, ownership transferred to the parent company of Bon-Ton, although the stores continued to use the Carson’s brand. Following Bon-Ton's bankruptcy in 2018, all associated stores including Carson’s ceased operations. Subsequently, Bon-Ton’s intellectual property was acquired during bankruptcy proceedings by new proprietors who relaunched the brand as an online retailer under BrandX.[2]
Founding: Carson and Pirie
The origins trace back to 1854 when Samuel Carson and John Thomas Pirie began working as clerks at Murray's dry goods establishment in Peru, Illinois. They subsequently launched their own retail business first in LaSalle and later expanded to Amboy. The catastrophic Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed approximately 60% of their inventory.Template:Fix/category[citation needed]
Founding: Scott
John Edwin Scott initially operated a dry goods shop in Ottawa, Illinois. After relocating to Chicago, he became the inaugural partner alongside Carson and Pirie in managing a dry goods enterprise that evolved into Carson Pirie Scott & Co. Two of his sons—Robert L. and Frederick H.—also became involved in the department store business.
Chicago flagship location
The prominent flagship outlet situated on State Street within the Downtown Chicago Loop district is still recognized as the Carson, Pirie, Scott and Company Building. Designed by architect Louis Sullivan for the department store Schlesinger & Mayer—which expanded it over time—the building was sold to Carson Pirie Scott following Schlesinger & Mayer’s bankruptcy in 1904. This location served as Carson’s primary store until an announcement in August 2006 revealed plans to close it after the holiday season that year. Clearance events were held before the store permanently shut its doors in February 2007.
1960s–1980s Growth and Diversification
In 1961, Carson Pirie Scott & Co. significantly increased its presence in Illinois by acquiring the 20-store Block & Kuhl chain, which was based in Peoria.
By 1980, aiming to broaden its business scope, Carson Pirie Scott & Co. secured $108 million in financing to purchase Dobbs Houses, Inc., a company specializing in airline catering and owning the Toddle House and Steak 'n Egg Kitchen restaurant brands. These restaurant chains, along with the County Seat apparel chain, were divested in 1988.
In 1989, P.A. Bergner & Co., a Peoria-founded firm managing the Bergner's, Charles V. Weise, Myers Brothers, and Boston Store chains, acquired Carson Pirie Scott & Co.
| Year | Details |
|---|---|
| 1961 | Block & Kuhl outlets rebranded under Carson Pirie Scott |
| 1987 |
|
| 1989 | Acquisition of Carson Pirie Scott by P.A. Bergner & Co., operators of Bergner's, Charles V. Weise, Myers Brothers, and Boston Store |
| 1998 | P.A. Bergner & Co. purchased by Proffitt's Inc., which later became Saks Incorporated |
| 2005 | Saks divests Carson Pirie Scott along with Bergner's, Younkers, Boston Store, and Herberger's to Bon-Ton Stores |
| 2018 | Bon-Ton Stores undergoes liquidation of its department store operations |
Bergner's Bankruptcy and Reorganization
In 1991, P.A. Bergner & Co. filed for protection under Chapter 11 bankruptcy; following its reorganization and emergence from bankruptcy in 1993, the company went public on the NASDAQ stock exchange and adopted the operating name Carson Pirie Scott & Co. The subsequent year saw the company's shares begin trading on the NYSE under the ticker symbol CRP.
Acquisition by Proffitt's/Saks
By 1998, ownership of Carson Pirie Scott & Co. had transferred to Proffitt's, Inc., which later rebranded as Saks Incorporated following its acquisition of Saks Fifth Avenue. The retail chains Carson Pirie Scott, Bergner's, and Boston Store, together with the Younkers and Herberger's brands, were collectively managed under Saks' Northern Department Store Group (NDSG), headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Towards the end of 2005, Saks Incorporated decided to divest this group as part of a strategic shift to concentrate primarily on its flagship Saks Fifth Avenue outlets.
Sale to The Bon-Ton and store closings
In a transaction valued at $1.1 billion finalized on March 6, 2006, Carson's along with its affiliated stores became part of The Bon-Ton Stores Inc.. Despite the change in ownership, the merchandising and marketing operations remained based in Milwaukee.
Between 2011 and 2012, Bon-Ton rebranded several Elder-Beerman locations across Indiana and Michigan by shortening their names to Carson's. In 2013, the chain further expanded into the Metro Detroit market by converting three former Parisian stores into Carson's outlets.
On April 17, 2018, Bon-Ton announced its decision to cease all operations and initiate liquidation for its entire portfolio of 267 stores after liquidators Great American Group and Tiger Capital Group secured the company through an auction bid estimated at $775.5 million. This closure encompassed all remaining Carson's stores after more than a century and a half in business. Retail analyst Mitch Nolen reported that store closures were completed within approximately 10 to 12 weeks.
Reopening
Following the bankruptcy proceedings, the intellectual property rights of Bon-Ton, which encompassed Carson's, were swiftly acquired by CSC Generation, led by Justin Yoshimura. This acquisition enabled the resumption of online retail operations. The new proprietors, headquartered in Merrillville, Indiana, also considered the possibility of launching additional physical store locations. On October 29, 2018, under this new management and retaining the original company and store names, Bon-Ton announced plans to reopen the Carson's store in Evergreen Park, Illinois on November 24, coinciding with Black Friday—marking one of the initial brick-and-mortar stores to resume operations. Additionally, announcements were made regarding prospective openings of Carson's stores in Bloomingdale, Lombard, and Orland Park, Illinois. Ultimately, only the Evergreen Park site reopened; plans for Orland Park and Lombard locations did not materialize. The Evergreen Park store ceased operations in October 2020 due to impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. Presently, Carson's operates exclusively as an online retailer without any physical storefronts. By November 2021, Carson's website was undergoing preparations for a relaunch managed by BrandX, which had also acquired trademarks for Stage Store; however, as of November 2024, the website remained inactive, displaying solely a "coming soon" notice.
Logos
| File:Old carsons logo.JPG | Logo utilized by Carson Pirie Scott from 1946 until 1978. |
| File:Cps.jpg | Carson Pirie Scott emblem employed from 1978 until the company's acquisition by Bergner in 1989. The design omitted the box and "& Co." suffix starting in 1986; this version persisted on older signage until the company's closure. |
| File:Nav store CPS.png | The final Carson Pirie Scott logo prior to shortening the name, incorporating Bergner's red insignia and typography. |
See also
- Chicago architecture
- Edens Plaza – shopping center once owned by Carson's that formerly housed a Carson's location
References
Further reading
- Merwood-Salisbury, Joanna. "Schlesinger and Mayer Department Store/Carson Pirie Scott: Louis Sullivan." Companion to the History of Architecture (2017): 1-10.
- Siry, Joseph. Carson Pirie Scott: Louis Sullivan and the Chicago Department Store (University of Chicago Press, 1988) online ISBN 0-226-76136-3
External links
- Archived version of Carson's official website
- Investor relations portal for The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. (archived)
- Collection of historic images of the Chicago flagship location (Chicago Tribune)
Template:Department stores in the United States Template:Bon-Ton Stores