Edison Brothers Stores
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | October 28, 1922 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Founder | Sam Edison, Harry Edison, Mark Edison, Irving Edison, Simon Edison |
| Defunct | 1999 |
| Headquarters | St. Louis , United States |
| Products | Footwear, apparel, entertainment |
Edison Brothers Stores, Inc. was a retail conglomerate based in St. Louis, Missouri that managed a variety of mall-centered chains specializing mainly in footwear, apparel, and entertainment. Bakers Shoes stood out as its premier brand. Although the company was dissolved in 1999, several of its chains continued operations under different ownership.
History
Established on October 28, 1922, by the Edison siblings—Sam, Harry, Mark, Irving, and Simon—in Atlanta, Georgia, the enterprise began with the shoe retailer Chandler's. Following its early success, Bakers was launched in 1924. By 1929, after going public and relocating its headquarters to St. Louis, Edison Brothers embarked on rapid expansion with numerous new store openings.
During the Great Depression, the firm concentrated on the more affordable Baker's brand and introduced Burt's to serve budget-minded shoppers. On the West Coast, stores operated under the Leed's name to prevent trademark conflicts. After World War II, growth accelerated with the debut of the first mall outlet in 1948 and reaching a total of 300 stores by 1957. By 1958, sales topped $100 million, with Harry Edison serving as chairman and Irving Edison as president.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Edison Brothers broadened its portfolio by entering women's apparel and children's footwear markets and acquiring various retail chains such as Jeans West, 5-7-9, Wild Pair, Fashion Conspiracy, United Sporting Goods, Handyman Home Improvement Centers, and Oaktree. By 1979, it operated approximately 2,000 stores; sales exceeded $1 billion by 1983. Leadership transitioned to Andy Newman as chairman and Martin Sneider as president, marking a departure from exclusive family management.
The company pursued additional acquisitions during the 1980s and early 1990s, including J. Riggings and Repp Ltd., along with acquiring 225 Foxmoor Casuals outlets in 1990. In the entertainment sector, Edison purchased Dave & Buster's in 1989 but divested it in 1995.
Confronted with a difficult retail environment, Edison Brothers filed for bankruptcy protection in November 1995 due to unfavorable market conditions and announced plans to shutter 500 of its then-2,700 stores. Its entertainment division was sold to Namco Cybertainment in 1996. After emerging from bankruptcy in 1997, the company filed again in March 1999 as sales continued to decline despite reducing its footprint to roughly 1,500 stores.
In April 1999, Gordon Brothers Group secured a contract to liquidate merchandise at over 600 locations including J. Riggings, JW/Jeans West, and Wild Pair outlets. Remaining assets were either sold off or liquidated. Former president Martin Sneider later cited several reasons for the company's downfall: shifting consumer preferences favoring branded products over private labels, inadequate marketing efforts, frequent discounting that eroded profit margins, and a conservative corporate culture that resisted external consultants and market research.
Following liquidation activities included transferring ownership of 5-7-9 Shops to a subsidiary of A.I.J.J. Enterprises (which owns Rainbow Shops), while Repp Ltd.’s U.S. operations were sold to J. Baker (operator of Casual Male) and Canadian operations were acquired by Grafton-Fraser.
Bakers Footwear Group
At the time of liquidation, Peter Edison—grandson of the founding brothers and the last family member involved until 1997—purchased the Bakers chain along with select Wild Pair locations for $8 million. Prior to this acquisition, Edison and partners had bought Weiss-Neuman Shoe Company in 1997; Bakers was integrated into this entity which was renamed Bakers Footwear Group. Edison aimed to restore Bakers’ reputation by closing underperforming outlets and renovating others to counteract its image as a low-quality shoe retailer.
In October 2012, Bakers Footwear Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy amid declining revenues. The following month saw the sale of 47 stores to Aldo U.S., part of the Aldo Group. After a failed reorganization effort, liquidation commenced in January 2013.
Bakers today
The Bakers brand is currently under the ownership of Bakers 2013, which took control of the brand and its website during a liquidation process and subsequently reopened select retail outlets. This enterprise operates with financial support from Zigi, a footwear company based in New York. Nevertheless, on December 31, 2023, Zigi initiated Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in New York.
Shoes
- Bakers
- Chandlers
- Leeds
- Burts
- Wild Pair
- Precis
- Gussini
Clothing
- Jeans West/JW
- J. Riggings
- 5-7-9
- Oaktree
- Foxmoor
- Fashion Conspiracy
- Repp Ltd.
- Webster
- Zeidler & Zeidler
- Harry's Big and Tall
- Phoenix Big & Tall (catalog)
- Coda
- Shifty's
Entertainment
- Dave & Buster's
- Time-Out
- Space Port
- Virtuality
- Exhilarama
- Slick Fielder's Bar & Grill
Other
- United Sporting Goods
- Handyman Home Improvement Centers
- Joan Bari
- Terrasystems