Dillard's facts for kids
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Dillard's store at NorthPark Center in Dallas, Texas (2006); it is one of the company's two flagship stores
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| Public | |
| Traded as |
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| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | 1938 |
| Founder | William T. Dillard |
| Headquarters | Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. |
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Number of locations
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267 (August 2024) |
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Area served
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United States |
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Key people
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| Products | Clothing, footwear, bedding, bath, furniture, decor, jewelry, accessories, beauty products, appliances, and housewares. |
| Revenue |  US$6.9 billion (2022) |
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Operating income
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 US$207.962 million (FY 2018) |
| US$170.263 million (FY 2018) |
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| Total assets | US$3.431 billion (FY 2018) |
| Total equity | US$1.678 billion (FY 2018) |
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Number of employees
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approx. 29,600 (December 25, 2023) |
Dillard's, Inc. is a well-known American department store chain. It has about 267 stores spread across 29 states in the United States. The company's main office is in Little Rock, Arkansas. Most Dillard's stores are found in Texas (57 stores) and Florida (42 stores). You can also find Dillard's in 27 other states. However, they do not have stores in the Northeast, most of the Upper Midwest, or most of the West Coast, except for three stores in California.
Contents
History of Dillard's Stores
How Dillard's Began
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Dillard's started as a small department store in 1938. It was founded by William T. Dillard. The company's main office is still in Little Rock. Many of the people who run the company today are members of the Dillard family. The family still has control over the company. This is because they own a special type of stock called Class B Common Stock. The other type of stock, Class A common stock, is traded on the New York Stock Exchange. This means anyone can buy or sell it.
William Dillard opened his first store in Mineral Springs, Arkansas. It was in a building people called "the tater house." Later, he sold a different store to open a department store in Texarkana, Arkansas. In 1956, Dillard and his team bought a store in Tyler, Texas. This store eventually became "Dillard's Mayer & Schmidt."
Growing Across the Country
In 1960, Dillard bought and helped improve a struggling store in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This success led him to buy two more stores in Little Rock, Arkansas, in the early 1960s. He then moved his company's main office to Little Rock. In 1969, Dillard's became a public company. This meant people could buy shares of the company.
Dillard's grew quickly in the 1970s. They often opened stores in new suburban shopping malls. They also bought smaller store chains. This helped them expand into many new cities, especially in Texas. For example, in 1971, they bought five stores from Fedway. In 1974, they bought five Leonard's stores in Fort Worth.
Big Growth in the 1980s and 1990s
The 1980s were a time of huge growth for Dillard's. The company bought many local department store chains. In 1984, they bought 12 Stix, Baer & Fuller stores in St. Louis and Kansas City. They also bought stores from Diamond's and John A. Brown in Arizona, Nevada, and Oklahoma.
In 1986, Dillard's bought 12 stores from R. H. Macy & Co. in Kansas and Missouri. In 1987, they bought 26 Joske's stores in Texas and Arizona. This deal was important because it gave Dillard's two main locations in some malls. They often turned the second location into a separate store for home goods or men's clothing. This helped them grow and stop other stores from taking good spots.
Dillard's also bought Cain-Sloan in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1987. That same year, Dillard's helped start CDI Contractors. This construction company builds and fixes most of Dillard's stores. In 1988, Dillard's bought the Selber Bros. chain in Shreveport. They also bought Miller & Paine in Lincoln.
In 1989, Dillard's bought D. H. Holmes Co., Ltd., which had 18 stores mainly in Louisiana. In the 1990s, Dillard's continued to buy more chains. They acquired Ivey's (23 stores) in 1990 and eight Maison Blanche stores in Florida in 1991. They also bought the rest of Higbee's stores in 1992.
By 1998, Dillard's made its biggest purchase: Mercantile Stores Co., Inc. This deal added many new store chains to Dillard's, like Gayfers and The Jones Store. This helped Dillard's become even stronger in the South, Midwest, and Mountain states. In 1998, Dillard's also opened its first store in California.
Dillard's in the 21st Century
After buying Mercantile, Dillard's stopped buying other large chains. However, they did acquire some stores from the closed Montgomery Ward chain in 2001. They also bought four stores from ZCMI in Utah and Idaho. New Dillard's stores opened in places like Chandler Fashion Center in Arizona and The Mall at Stonecrest in Georgia in 2001.
In 2004, Dillard's sold its store credit card business to GE Money Bank. Now, customers can get Dillard's/American Express cards. These cards can be used anywhere American Express is accepted. In 2005, Dillard's opened more stores in Atlanta, Georgia, and Jacksonville, Florida. They also opened their third store in California.
In 2008, Dillard's closed its travel agency, Dillard's Travel. This was due to economic conditions. Also in 2008, Dillard's bought the rest of CDI Contractors, the construction company they helped start. In late 2018, Dillard's announced a new store would open in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This store opened in March 2024 at the Empire Mall.
By August 2020, Dillard's had 260 full-line stores and 29 clearance centers. Most were in the South and Southwest. The company also owned a lot of the property where its stores were located. In March 2020, Dillard's kept many stores open during the coronavirus pandemic. By April 2020, they closed about 200 stores. Their online store stayed open. By May 2020, most stores had reopened.
In August 2021, Dillard's reported a big increase in sales compared to 2019. They also had a net income of $185.7 million, which was a big improvement from a loss the year before. For the year ending February 3, 2024, Dillard's had a net income of $738.8 million. Their total sales were $6.75 billion.
In 2024, Dillard's started "The Coterie Shop." This is a new idea for online and in-store shops. They feature special occasion and casual clothing from different brands. These shops are in stores in states like Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, and Texas.
Dillard's Store Formats
Dillard's continues to open new stores. They have even added stores in shopping centers that are not traditional malls. The largest Dillard's store is in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is about 365,000 square feet. In the Dallas/Fort Worth area, there are two main Dillard's stores. One is at Northpark Center in Dallas, and the other is at North East Mall in Hurst. A new main store is being built in Lubbock, Texas. The original home store for the chain is in Little Rock. It is located in the Park Plaza Mall.
Dillard's Clearance Centers
As of April 2020, Dillard's had 28 clearance stores. These stores are called Dillard's Clearance Centers. They are usually in different mall spaces. These centers sell clothing from past seasons at lower prices. They are often in areas where people are looking for good deals.
The regular Dillard's department stores send their clearance items to these centers. The clothes are already 65% off. Then, they are marked down even more to sell them quickly. These centers are similar to stores like Marshalls or TJ Maxx. You might not find every size or many of the same item. However, all the clothes come directly from Dillard's department stores nearby. The items sent to these stores can be overstocked, out of season, or slightly damaged. This is a great way to buy brand-name items at a lower price.
The hours for Clearance Centers can change, but they are usually open Tuesday through Saturday from 12 pm to 7 pm. On Sundays, they are open from 12 pm to 6 pm. They are closed on Mondays so they can restock with new clearance items. Each week, the Clearance Centers mark down items even more. Older items are often priced to end in "99 cents," which means they are 65% off.
