Pamida

Pamida

File:Pamida.png
Company type	Private
Industry	Retail
Founded	1963
Defunct	2012
Fate	Integrated into Shopko
Headquarters	Omaha, Nebraska, United States
Number of locations	Over 175
Products	Apparel, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, cosmetics, electronics, groceries, housewares, pharmacy.
Owner	Sun Capital Partners, Inc.

Pamida Template:IPAc-en was a department store chain operating more than 175 outlets across 16 Midwestern and West Central U.S. states. Established in 1963 by D.J. Witherspoon and Lee Wegener, Pamida targeted smaller rural towns with populations ranging from approximately 3,000 to 8,000 residents. The brand name "Pamida" is derived from the first two letters of the first names of co-founder D.J. (Jim) Witherspoon's three sons: Pat, Mike, and David.

History

File:Pamida outlet (Smithville, TN - 2006).jpg

A representative Pamida store located in Smithville, Tennessee.

Pamida originated from a rack jobber enterprise started by Jim Witherspoon in 1938, which evolved into NuWay Drug Service by 1948. The company expanded when Witherspoon acquired a distribution firm in 1962 that brought Lee Wegener into the partnership. Subsequently, Pamida Inc. was established as a holding company for Witherspoon’s ventures. The first discount retail store under the Pamida banner opened in Knoxville, Iowa in 1963. Shortly after, a second location was launched in Oskaloosa, Iowa. The chain rapidly grew throughout the Midwest primarily as franchises of Gibson's Discount Center, though some stores operated under different names. Pamida went public in 1969. Eventually, it became the largest franchisee of Gibson's Discount Center with 74 stores under its management. By the late 1970s, the company began withdrawing from Gibson's franchising model to focus on enlarging stores within its existing markets and rebranding them under the Pamida name.

In 1981, Witherspoon and Wegener transferred ownership of Pamida to their employees. Five years later, a Citicorp subsidiary acquired a controlling stake in the company. In 1994, Pamida expanded by acquiring several former Fisher's Big Wheel locations. Shopko Stores, Inc. purchased Pamida for $110 million in 1999 (~$Template:Format price adjusted for inflation), maintaining it as a separate division within Shopko. The following year Shopko acquired Missouri-based discounter P.M. Place Stores and converted those outlets to Pamida branding. In 2005, Shopko was acquired by an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, Inc.. Two years later, Pamida was spun off from Shopko and reestablished its headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. On January 4, 2012, it was announced that Shopko and Pamida would merge operations with Pamida stores transitioning to Shopko Hometown branding. However, seven locations—in Sparta, Michigan; Litchfield, Minnesota; Ontonagon, Michigan; Albia, Iowa; Chelsea, Michigan; Corydon, Iowa; and Mount Vernon, Missouri—were shuttered instead of being converted.

The Shopko Hometown stores ceased operations in 2019 alongside the broader Shopko chain following bankruptcy and liquidation proceedings.

Gallery

• Pamida location in Attica, Indiana
  Pamida location in Attica, Indiana
• Original Pamida Store (Knoxville, Iowa)
  Original Pamida Store (Knoxville, Iowa)