Parisian (department store)

Parisian Inc.
Company type	Private
Industry	Retail (department stores)
Founded	1877; 149 years ago in Birmingham, Alabama, United States
Founder	Estella and Bertha Sommers
Defunct	2013
Fate	Brand rights expired; stores converted or closed
Successor	Belk, The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.
Headquarters	Birmingham, United States
Area served	United States (primarily Southeastern and Midwestern states)
Key people	Emil Hess, Leonard Salit, Carl Hess, William Holiner
Products	Department store retail
Parent	Proffitt's (1996–1998), Saks Incorporated (1998–2006), Belk (2006–2007)

Parisian Inc. (pronounced pə-REE-zhən) was a prominent American upscale department store chain established and based in Birmingham, Alabama. Founded in 1877, it primarily competed in the 1980s with retailers such as Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Gus Mayer. Throughout its existence spanning over a century, Parisian experienced multiple reorganizations and ownership changes. In 1996, it was acquired by Proffitt's. Later, in September 2006, Belk purchased the chain from Saks for $285 million, converting twenty-four of its outlets to Belk stores by September 2007. Subsequently, Belk divested four locations situated in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio to The Bon-Ton in October 2006. Bon-Ton continued operating these stores under the Parisian brand until 2013, when the exclusive rights to use the Parisian name expired, effectively ending the brand’s presence in the market.

Early Years

The origins of Parisian trace back to 1877 in Birmingham, Alabama, when Estella and Bertha Sommers founded the company. During the 1920s, ownership transferred to Carl Hess and William Holiner. In 1950, Emil Hess (Carl’s son) and Leonard Salit (Holiner’s son-in-law) purchased the enterprise and introduced its inaugural credit program. Following Salit’s passing, control reverted to the Hess family.

In the 1970s, Parisian expanded by opening locations within various Birmingham-area shopping centers such as Eastwood Mall (currently known as Eastwood Village). The chain had already begun branching out beyond Birmingham during the 1960s with new stores at Gateway Shopping Center in Decatur, Alabama as well as locations at Parkway City Mall in Huntsville, University Mall in Tuscaloosa, Bel Air Mall in Mobile, and both Eastdale Mall and Montgomery Mall in Montgomery. By the mid-1980s, Parisian operated thirteen stores throughout Alabama. Its initial expansion outside Alabama included two Florida outlets: one at Cordova Mall in Pensacola and another at Sarasota Square Mall (now Westfield Sarasota Square) in Sarasota.

In 1988, Australian real estate company LJ Hooker acquired Parisian along with other department stores including Bonwit Teller and B. Altman. However, after filing for bankruptcy, LJ Hooker sold its stake in Parisian back to the Hess family just a year later. By the early 1990s, Parisian had extended its footprint beyond the Southeastern United States with new stores opening in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. During the mid-1990s, additional Florida locations were established at Seminole Towne Center and The Avenues mall.

Acquisition by Proffitt's in 1996

In 1996, Proffitt's Inc. acquired the 38-store Parisian chain for $200 million and took on Parisian's $250 million outstanding debt. Having previously purchased Younkers and McRae's two years earlier, Proffitt's also added G.R. Herberger's to its portfolio in 1996. By 1997, Proffitt's managed five distinct retail brands: 19 Proffitt's locations primarily in Tennessee; 29 McRae's outlets across Alabama and Mississippi; 48 Younkers stores concentrated in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan; 40 Parisian stores; and 39 Herberger's stores mainly situated in the Midwest.

Proffitt's expansion continued with the acquisition of the Carson Pirie Scott chain, comprising 52 Midwest stores in 1997, followed by the purchase of Brody's in North Carolina in 1998. Later that year, Proffitt's acquired Saks Fifth Avenue for $2.1 billion, which included 100 Saks stores along with 40 Off 5th discount outlets, subsequently rebranding itself from Proffitt's, Inc. to Saks Incorporated.

At its peak, Saks Incorporated operated over 250 department stores ranging from mid-tier to luxury under several divisions: the Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises group; the Parisian division; the Northern Department Store Group (including Younkers, Herberger's, Carson Pirie Scott, Bergner's, and Boston Store); and the Southern Department Store Group (consisting of Proffitt's and McRae's), as well as more than 50 specialty shops under the Club Libby Lu brand.

Sale of Parisian to Belk in 2006

File:Parisian - Montgomery Mall Montgomery, AL (15246948689).jpg

Parisian label scar at Montgomery Mall in Montgomery, Alabama

On March 8, 2006, Belk, Inc., a private department store chain headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, acquired the Proffitt's and McRae's locations from Saks and promptly rebranded them as Belk stores. Subsequently, on August 2, 2006, Belk announced its $285 million acquisition of Parisian from Saks. The company later revealed plans to convert twenty-four Parisian outlets into Belk stores by September 12, 2007. Following this transaction, Belk operated a total of 315 stores across 19 states. This deal encompassed 38 Parisian department stores, a 125,000-square-foot (11,600 m²) corporate headquarters facility in Birmingham, Alabama, and a 171,000-square-foot (15,900 m²) distribution center located in Steele, Alabama.

Bon-Ton agreement

On October 25, 2006, Belk disclosed the sale of four Parisian locations along with rights to develop a fifth store to The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. for $22 million (equivalent to approximately $Template:Inflation adjusted for inflation). This agreement permitted Bon-Ton to operate these four stores under the Parisian brand for a specified period. Despite this arrangement, the Parisian brand ceased operations in 2006; however, Bon-Ton continued managing these locations using the Parisian nameplate. The affected stores included:

Livonia, Michigan – Laurel Park Place – 148,800 sq ft (13,820 m²).
Rochester Hills, Michigan – The Village of Rochester Hills – 120,500 sq ft (11,190 m²).
Beavercreek, Ohio – The Mall at Fairfield Commons – 130,200 sq ft (12,100 m²). This location transitioned into an Elder-Beerman. Elder-Beerman consolidated this store with another mall location in 2014; demolition was planned for 2015 to accommodate new dining establishments.
Indianapolis, Indiana – Circle Centre – 144,000 sq ft (13,400 m²). Formerly home to the flagship L. S. Ayres store; later became a Carson Pirie Scott. The store closed in spring 2018.
Clinton Township, Michigan – The Mall at Partridge Creek – 120,000 sq ft (11,000 m²). This location opened on October 18, 2007, marking the first Parisian store launched under Bon-Ton's management.

By 2012, the Parisian name continued to be used at stores located within Laurel Park Place, Livonia; The Mall at Partridge Creek, Clinton Township; and The Village of Rochester Hills, Rochester Hills. In January 2013, Bon-Ton's exclusive rights to operate these stores under the Parisian brand expired, signaling the conclusion of this upscale department store identity.

References

External links

Archived official website of Parisian
Corporate site of Saks Incorporated Archived 2005-12-28 at the Wayback Machine
Official website of Belk Archived 2016-11-28 at the Wayback Machine

Template:Bon-Ton Stores

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