Yellow Front Stores
| Company type | Discount store |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | c. 1950s Phoenix, Arizona |
| Founder | Jim Kelly |
| Defunct | 1990 |
| Fate | bankruptcy |
| Headquarters | Phoenix, Arizona |
Number of locations | |
Areas served | Arizona and western United States |
| Products | clothing, footwear, sporting goods, automotive |
Yellow Front was a U.S.-based discount store[2] that began as a single Army surplus store and gradually transformed into a sporting goods retailer before becoming a discount chain.
Originating in the 1950s in Phoenix, Arizona, Yellow Front started as a modest outlet specializing in Army Surplus merchandise.[3] In 1960, Jake Henegar acquired the company from Jim Kelly and managed it until his retirement in the early 1980s.Template:Fix/category[citation needed]
During the 1960s, Yellow Front Stores broadened their inventory and expanded their footprint. By the following decade, they operated outlets throughout the Southwestern United States, offering outdoor equipment such as hunting, camping, and fishing gear alongside workwear including Levi Strauss jeans.
Following Henegar's departure, leadership passed to Sean Lee, Robert Bove, and David Stoup.Template:Fix/category[citation needed]
After rapid growth, Yellow Front was compelled to shutter all locations in the Pacific Northwest by 1977.[4]
In 1978, Lucky Stores purchased Yellow Front Stores for $45.9 million (~$Template:Format price adjusted for inflation), though Yellow Front continued to operate under its original name.[5]
By 1987, Yellow Front maintained 104 outlets across eight states. That year, during a hostile takeover led by New York investor Asher B. Eshelman, Lucky divested Yellow Front for $50 million.[1][6][7] The acquisition was made by a corporation owned by Kenmare, a private firm controlled by Daniel J. Sullivan.Template:Fix/category[citation needed]
Shortly thereafter in 1987, Yellow Front acquired Bonanza Stores based in Renton, Washington, which operated 64 outlets.[8][9] It remains unclear whether these stores were rebranded as Yellow Front prior to the company's bankruptcy.
In 1990, Yellow Front Stores filed for bankruptcy protection and proceeded to liquidate all remaining locations.[10][11][12]
References
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- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).