Dillard's facts for kids
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Dillard's store at Southern Park Mall. Commonly used facade. Closed 2018.
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| Public | |
| Traded as | NYSE: DDS (Class A) |
| 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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285 (February 2019) |
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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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~40,000 (December 31, 2020) |
Dillard's, Inc. is a large American department store chain. It has about 282 stores across 29 states. The company's main office is in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Most Dillard's stores are in Texas (57 stores) and Florida (42 stores). You can find stores in 27 other states too. However, Dillard's does not have stores in the Northeast, most of the Upper Midwest, or the Northwest. There are only three stores in California.
Contents
History of Dillard's
Starting Out (20th Century)
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Dillard's began in 1938. It was founded by William T. Dillard. The company's main office is still in Little Rock, Arkansas. Many leaders of the company are part of the Dillard family. The family still controls the company.
William Dillard opened his first store in Mineral Springs, Arkansas. He later sold that store to open a department store in Texarkana, Arkansas. In 1956, Dillard bought the Mayer & Schmidt store in Tyler, Texas. This store was later renamed Dillard's.
In the 1960s, Dillard's grew by buying other stores. These included Brown-Dunkin in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They also bought Joseph Pfeifer and Gus Blass Co. in Little Rock, Arkansas. This led Dillard to move his main office to Little Rock. In 1969, Dillard's became a public company. This meant people could buy shares of the company.
The store chain then grew quickly. It became a main store in many suburban shopping malls. Dillard's was good at buying smaller store chains. They could make these stores profitable again. The company expanded a lot in the 1970s. They opened many new stores in Texas malls.
In the 1980s, Dillard's bought many local store chains. They bought stores from Lowenstein's in Memphis, Tennessee. They also bought Stix, Baer & Fuller stores in St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri. Dillard's also bought Diamond's and John A. Brown stores in Arizona, Nevada, and Oklahoma.
They also bought stores from Macy's in Kansas and Missouri. In 1987, Dillard's bought 26 Joske's stores in Texas and Arizona. They also bought the Cain-Sloan chain in Nashville, Tennessee. This helped Dillard's enter the Houston market. They often turned a second store in a mall into a special home and men's store.
In 1988, Dillard's bought the Selber Bros. chain in Shreveport, Louisiana. They also bought Miller & Paine stores in Lincoln, Nebraska. Dillard's also gained control of The Higbee Co. in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1989, D. H. Holmes Co. of New Orleans was purchased. This added 18 stores, mostly in Louisiana.
The Ivey's chain of 23 stores was bought in 1990. These stores were in Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. In 1991, Maison Blanche sold eight stores to Dillard's. In 1992, Dillard's took full ownership of Higbee's stores. They also bought five Ohio stores from Horne's.
More stores were bought in 1992 and 1994. These included stores from Hess's and E. M. Scarbrough's. They also bought some Thalhimer's and Belk-Lindsey stores. In 1997, Dillard's bought 15 more stores. These included Mervyn's stores in Florida and Proffitt's stores in Virginia. They also took over some Macy's stores in Houston.
A very big deal happened in 1998. Dillard's bought Mercantile Stores Co., Inc. This added many store chains like Gayfers and McAlpin's. This deal helped Dillard's grow stronger in the South, Midwest, and Mountain states. In 1998, Dillard's also opened its first store in California.
Recent Years (21st Century)
After 1998, Dillard's stopped buying other large store chains. But they did buy eight former Montgomery Ward stores in 2001. They also bought four ZCMI stores in Utah and Idaho. New Dillard's stores opened in Arizona, Georgia, Florida, and Texas.
In 2004, Dillard's sold its store credit card business. Now, customers can get Dillard's/American Express cards. These cards can be used anywhere American Express is accepted.
In 2005, Dillard's opened new stores in Atlanta, Georgia and Jacksonville, Florida. In 2008, Dillard's closed its travel agency business. This was due to the economy. Also in 2008, new stores opened in Florida. Dillard's also took full ownership of CDI Contractors. This company helps build and fix Dillard's stores.
In late 2018, Dillard's announced a new store. It was planned to open in 2019 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. By 2019, Dillard's had 260 full-line stores and 29 clearance centers. Most stores were in the South and Southwest. The company also owns a lot of property.
In March 2020, Dillard's kept many stores open during the coronavirus pandemic. They had limited hours where allowed. By April 2020, about 200 of their 285 stores closed. Their online store stayed open. In May 2020, most stores had reopened. The company's CEO said the first quarter of 2020 was the worst in its history.
In August 2021, Dillard's reported good news. Their sales compared to 2019 went up by 14%. They made a net income of $185.7 million. This was a big change from a loss the year before.
For the year ending February 3, 2024, Dillard's made $738.8 million in profit. Their total sales were $6.75 billion.
In 2024, Dillard's started "The Coterie Shop." This is a new idea for special occasion and casual clothing. It will be in stores and online. These shops will be in many southern states.
Store Formats
Dillard's continues to open new stores. They have even added stores in shopping centers that are not traditional malls. The biggest Dillard's store is in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is about 365,000 square feet.
In the Dallas/Fort Worth area, there are two large stores. One is at Northpark Center in Dallas. The other is at North East Mall in Hurst, Texas. The main store for the chain is in Little Rock, Arkansas. It is located in the Park Plaza Mall.
Clearance Centers
Dillard's also has special "Clearance Centers." As of April 2020, there were 28 of these stores. These centers sell clothing from past seasons at lower prices. They are often in areas where prices are more important to shoppers.
Regular Dillard's stores send leftover clothes to these centers. The clothes are already 65% off. Then, they are marked down even more. This helps sell all the items.
Clearance Centers are similar to stores like Marshalls or TJ Maxx. You might not find every size or many of the same item. But all the clothes come directly from Dillard's department stores nearby. These items might be extra stock, out of season, or slightly damaged. It's a great way to buy brand-name items for less.
The hours for Clearance Centers can change. But usually, they are 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 to restock. Each week, older items get even bigger discounts.
