Carter's

Carter's, Inc.

Company type	Public
Traded as	NYSE: CRI S&P 600 component
Founded	1865 (1865) (originally William Carter Company) in Needham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Founder	William Carter
Headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Number of locations	750 (November 2019)
Products	Clothing
Number of employees	20,900 (2017)
Subsidiaries	OshKosh B'gosh Skip•Hop Inc.
Website	carters.com

Carter's, Inc. stands as a prominent American brand specializing in the design and marketing of children's garments. Established in 1865 by William Carter, the enterprise distributes its products through Carter's and OshKosh B'gosh retail outlets, an online platform, and leading retail partners. As of , Carter's commanded nearly one-quarter of the market share within the children's sleepwear sector and the clothing segment for newborns to toddlers under two years old. The firm holds the 754th position on the Fortune 1000 rankings.

History

The origins of Carter's trace back to 1865 when William Carter founded the William Carter Company in Needham, Massachusetts. Born in England in 1830, Carter emigrated to the United States in 1857. His son, William Henry Carter (1864–1955), assumed the presidency of the company in 1918 following two congressional terms. By the 1960s, operations had expanded to include seven mills located throughout Massachusetts and the Southern United States. The family divested ownership of the business in 1990.

During the early 2000s, Carter's introduced exclusive apparel collections designed specifically for retailers such as Target ("Just One You"), Walmart, and Amazon. Each line featured dedicated design teams and pricing models tailored to distinct customer segments.

Growth through acquisition played a key role in Carter's expansion strategy, highlighted by its $312 million purchase of rival OshKosh B'gosh in 2005.

In 2012, the company allocated $50 million toward constructing a distribution hub spanning one million square feet in Braselton, Georgia. This facility was intended to bolster e-commerce, retail, and wholesale logistics while generating an estimated 1,000 jobs by 2015.

Broadening its product range further, Carter's acquired Skip Hop Inc., a manufacturer of infant products, in February 2017 for $140 million plus additional contingent payments. Prior to this transaction, Skip Hop was predominantly owned by Fireman Capital Partners, a private equity firm.

By 2019, Carter's operated more than 1,060 branded retail stores and outlet locations. The company planned to launch up to 100 new stores within mid-tier shopping centers to stimulate growth. Market analyses reveal robust brand loyalty across different age groups—with approximately 90% of millennial parents and 80% of baby boomer grandparents purchasing from Carter's annually.

Brands

Carter's, Inc. promotes a variety of children's apparel and accessories through multiple brand names. In addition to its primary Carter's label, the company owns OshKosh B'gosh and Skip Hop. As of 2018, it also produces exclusive lines for select retailers, including:

• For Target Corporation exclusively:
  • Just One You
  • Precious Firsts
  • Genuine Kids
• For Walmart exclusively:
  • Child of Mine
• For Amazon exclusively:
  • Simple Joys

All these exclusive collections carry a "made by Carter's" mark, except for Genuine Kids, which bears the "from OshKosh" tag—a brand established before Carter's acquired OshKosh in 2003.

Headquarters

In 2012, Carter's Inc. shifted its main office from Midtown Atlanta to Buckhead’s Phipps Tower, securing a lease for 222,730 square feet in one of the region’s most significant office agreements valued near $70 million. This relocation brought together jobs previously based outside Georgia and created an additional 200 local roles. Both the former and current properties are owned by Manulife Financial Corp, enabling a smooth early lease termination and seamless transition within the Buckhead district.

Presently, Carter's headquarters is situated at Suite 1800 in Phipps Tower, located at 3438 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia. This site functions as the central command for the company’s worldwide operations and executive management.

External links

• The William Carter Company | Needham Historical Society