Heck's

Not to be confused with Hecht's.

Heck's, Inc.

File:Heck's Discount Store Final Logo.png
Company type	Discount department store
Industry	Retail
Founded	1959 (1959)
Defunct	Template:End date and age
Fate	Dissolved
Number of locations	170 (at its height)
Area served	West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, North Carolina
Products	Apparel, garden and seasonal items, sporting goods, hardware, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, and housewares.

Heck's was a discount department store chain headquartered in West Virginia. It was created by Boone County entrepreneurs Fred Haddad, Tom Ellis, Lester Ellis, and wholesale distributor Douglas Cook. The brand name "Heck's" derived from the initials of Haddad, Ellis, and Cook. Haddad held the position of president; Lester Ellis served as vice-president; and Tom Ellis acted as Secretary-Treasurer.

History

Founded in 1959 by Fred Haddad along with Tom and Lester Ellis and Doug Cook, Heck's operated its headquarters at 1012 Kanawha Boulevard in Charleston, West Virginia.

Heck's stores were standalone discount department outlets situated primarily in smaller towns across West Virginia, Virginia, western Maryland, the Ohio Valley region, and parts of Indiana, Kentucky, and North Carolina. Their store format and merchandise assortment closely resembled competitors such as Fisher's Big Wheel, Hills Department Stores, G.C. Murphy's Mart, Tempo and Buckeye Mart Stores, and Walmart.

Expansion into the Midwest included the acquisition of T-Way Stores (Tradeway) based in Indianapolis. Additionally, Heck's purchased Mr. Wiggs locations across Indiana and Ohio in 1981.

During its zenith in the 1980s, Heck's operated approximately 170 stores spanning West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. In 1980, Forbes ranked Heck's third nationally for profitability and growth—surpassing rivals such as Kmart.

Fred Haddad stepped down as president in 1983 and divested his shares. The Ellis brothers had exited ownership earlier during the 1970s.

File:Heck's Sign.jpg

Sign from a former Heck's Discount Store in West Virginia

The following year brought declining sales and the company's initial financial losses appeared in 1984. Workforce reductions commenced in 1985 amid continued fiscal setbacks.

Several elements contributed to Heck's downturn. The early 1980s recession severely impacted West Virginia’s economy while competition intensified from other retail chains.

In February 1987 a planned $125 million merger with New York-based Toussie-Viner Group was called off due to Heck’s poor performance late in 1986. Subsequently, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection operating 140 stores at that time.

Emerging from Chapter 11 in 1989 with a reduced footprint of 55 stores and rebranded as Take 10 Discount Club—a membership program requiring a $10 fee (~$Template:Format price adjusted for inflation)—the company attempted to restructure.

Shortly thereafter all retail assets were sold to Retail Acquisition Corporation Inc., which rebranded them as L.A. Joe Department Stores. Two outlets were acquired by Fisher's Big Wheel while one location was transferred to Gabriel Brothers.

A 1991 article from The Philadelphia Inquirer attributed the chain’s failure under new owner Russell Isaacs to drastic operational changes he implemented.

The report highlighted customer dissatisfaction stemming from frequent store layout modifications and removal of popular merchandise lines. Furthermore, costly errors linked to the introduction of a new computerized accounting system aggravated the company’s difficulties.

Further reading

• How a Once-Thriving Discount Retailer Declined [1]
• Scripophily.com Resource [2]
• New York Times: Potential New Buyout Proposal for Hecks [3]