AJWright

Last updated
AJWright
Type Subsidiary
Industry Retail
Founded1998
Defunct2011
FateSome stores converted to either T.J. Maxx, Marshalls or HomeGoods, other stores closed beginning late January to early February
Headquarters Framingham, Massachusetts
ProductsClothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares.
Parent TJX Companies
Website Archived official website at the Wayback Machine (archive index)

AJWright (formerly formatted as A.J. Wright until 2009) was a chain of about 129 [1] American retail/outlet stores established in 1998 and owned by TJX Companies. Like its sister company T.J. Maxx, AJWright sold clothing, domestics, giftware, footwear, accessories, and fragrances at prices between twenty and seventy percent below regular prices. [2] AJWright differed from other TJX chains by refreshing its merchandise on a regular basis. For most stores, new shipments arrived every weekday. [2] In early 2011, TJX closed the chain's remaining stores and converted some stores to other TJX brands.

Contents

Although moderate-income families were AJWright's main target market, other consumer groups were drawn by the company's recent expansion. [1] The company's community service strategy centered on monetary donations to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and other affiliates. [3]

History

AJWright's former logo, used until 2009 AJWright (logo).png
AJWright's former logo, used until 2009

AJWright opened its first six stores in the northeastern region of the United States in the fall of 1998. [4] The first three stores – located in the towns of Brockton, Somerville, and Malden, Massachusetts – were opened simultaneously on September 20 of that year. [5] During the initial openings, Johnson & Wales University's marketing director, Mark Neckes, approved of AJWright; he stated that AJWright strengthens TJX's coverage of urban markets, an area "where people need a place to shop [and] a place where retailers understand what people are looking for". [5]

AJWright continued to open new stores as its customer base increased. By 2000, AJWright operated 25 stores across the United States; by December 2001, the number had increased to 40. [6] The chain opened an additional 112 stores by the end of 2005, bringing its total to 152; [1] however, this number fluctuated due to store closures. In 2006, one business article stated that AJWright was "in the red" and that TJX needed to "figure out the future of its newer divisions, the less profitable AJWright and HomeGoods stores and the non-off-price Bob’s Stores". [7] Therefore, the company chose to focus on lowering the rapid expansion of the chain. [7]

One of the 34 stores undergoing closing procedures AJ Wright closing.jpg
One of the 34 stores undergoing closing procedures

On November 30, 2006, TJX announced the closure of 34 underproducing stores. [8] According to a TJX 10-Q on December 1, 2006, the closures were determined by "several factors, including market demographics and proximity to other AJWright stores, cash return, sales volume and productivity, recent comparable store sales and profit trends, and overall market performance". [9] Employees were provided with severance packages or offers to transfer to other AJWright or TJX stores. [10] Ben Cammarata, CEO of TJX Companies, stated: [11]

In our ongoing pursuit to drive profitable sales, we have made a strategic decision that we believe makes AJWright a stronger business and puts it in a substantially better position for future growth. By closing 34 of the 162 AJWright stores, we eliminate marginally profitable stores and accomplish several important things: we substantially reduce the number of advertising markets in which we operate, enabling us to better lever marketing dollars and efforts; we gain efficiencies in store operations and logistics; and we have greater ability to focus management attention and resources on the bulk of AJWright stores that are performing well, so that we can build upon that base and grow successfully.

The tentative closure date for the stores was January 27, 2007. [11] Because of closing expenses, TJX expected to include a reduction of $37 million in their fourth quarter 2006 net income statement. [8] On February 21, 2007, TJX reported that the net income had fallen from $288.7 million the previous year to $205.5 million; the reduction included the $37 million closing expenses. [12] [13] The company expected to open about ten new stores by 2008. [8]

During this period, the TJX database was hacked and customer information was compromised. [14] [15] Although TJX originally stated that the security breach occurred between May 2006 and January 2007, the company discovered that the database had also been compromised in 2005. [12] [13]

In December, 2010 TJX corporation announced a consolidation that would eliminate the A.J. Wright chain. Many A.J. Wright stores were converted into T.J. Maxx, Marshalls or HomeGoods stores, while the remaining were permanently shuttered along with distribution centers. The entire process resulted in approximately 4400 layoffs. [16]

Slogans

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshalls</span> American multinational discount department store chain owned by TJX Companies

Marshalls is an American chain of off-price department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 1,000 American stores, including larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store, covering 49 states and Puerto Rico, and 61 stores in Canada. Marshalls first expanded into Canada in March 2011.

Organically Grown is a privately held Delaware limited liability company owned by Organically Grown Group LLC, with offices in Encino, California. Julia and Robert Stein founded the company in October 2007. The brands owned and controlled by Organically Grown Group LLC include: Organically Grown, Organically Grown Baby and Organically Grown Kids.

A discount store or discounter offers a retail format in which products are sold at prices that are in principle lower than an actual or supposed "full retail price". Discounters rely on bulk purchasing and efficient distribution to keep down costs.

TK Maxx is a subsidiary of the American apparel and home goods company TJX Companies. The stores operate throughout the United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Austria and the Netherlands, totalling 629 stores in Europe and 56 in Australia in May 2020. In Poland, there are a total of 44 stores. The chain uses a slightly different name from that of the TJ Maxx stores in the United States, to avoid confusion with the British retailer T. J. Hughes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zayre</span> Defunct discount retailer in the United States

Zayre was a chain of discount stores that operated in the eastern half of the United States from 1956 to 1990. The company's headquarters was in Framingham, Massachusetts. In October 1988, Zayre's parent company, Zayre Corp., sold the stores to the competing Ames Department Stores, Inc. chain, and in June 1989, Zayre Corp. merged with one of its subsidiaries, The TJX Companies, parent company of T.J. Maxx, which still exists today. A number of stores retained the Zayre name until 1990, by which time all stores were either closed or converted into Ames stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farmer Jack</span> Supermarket in Michigan. U.S.

Farmer Jack was a supermarket chain based in Detroit, Michigan. At its peak, it operated more than 100 stores, primarily in metropolitan Detroit. In its final years, the chain operated as the Midwest subsidiary of the New Jersey-based A&P Corporation. A&P closed the Farmer Jack chain on July 7, 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TJX Companies</span> American multinational discount department store corporation

The TJX Companies, Inc. is an American multinational off-price department store corporation, headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts. It was formed as a subsidiary of Zayre Corp. in 1987, and became the legal successor to Zayre Corp. following a company reorganization in 1989.

Winners Merchants International L.P is a chain of off-price Canadian department stores owned by TJX Companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TJ Maxx</span> American discount department store chain owned by TJX Companies

TJ Maxx is an American department store chain, selling at prices generally lower than other major similar stores. It has more than 1,000 stores in the United States, making it one of the largest clothing retailers in the country. TJ Maxx is the flagship chain of the TJX Companies. It sells men's, women's and children's apparel and shoes, toys, bath and beauty products, accessories, jewelry, and home products ranging from furniture and decor to housewares and kitchen utensils.

T. J. Hughes, registered and styled as TJ Hughes, is a British discount department store brand which first emerged in Liverpool in 1912.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HomeGoods</span> American chain of home furnishing stores

HomeGoods is a chain of home furnishing stores headquartered in Framingham, Massachusetts. It was founded as a small chain in 1992 and grew to include hundreds of locations throughout the United States. HomeGoods sells furniture, linens, cooking products, art, and other home accessories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HomeSense</span> Canadian chain of discount home furnishing stores

HomeSense is a Canadian chain of discount home furnishing stores owned by TJX Companies. It originated in Canada in 2001, and was expanded to Europe in 2008 and the United States in 2017. Outside of the United States, the chain is comparable to the TJX-owned HomeGoods. Within the US, where HomeGoods already operates, it features more big ticket items than its sister store.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sierra (retailer)</span> American off-price retailer

Sierra Trading Post, Inc., doing business as Sierra, is an online and brick-and-mortar retailer of off-price merchandise operated by the TJX Companies. The Framingham, Massachusetts–based company offers products in categories such as outdoor recreation, fitness and adventure gear, and apparel, along with footwear, clothing, and home decor. Sierra sells merchandise through 78 retail stores as of November 2022 and a company website. It carries products from approximately 3,000 name-brand manufacturers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob's Stores</span> American retail store chain

Bob's Stores is a chain of retail stores in the northeastern United States owned by GoDigital Media Group. Founded as Bob's Surplus in Middletown, Connecticut, by Robert "Bob" Lapidus in 1954, the chain expanded gradually until it was acquired by TJX Companies in 2003 and has been reacquired twice more since then. The chain targets moderate-income customers with a selection of footwear, workwear, teamwear, and activewear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lansing Mall</span> Shopping mall in Michigan, United States

Lansing Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Delta Charter Township, Michigan, United States, just outside Lansing, the state capital of Michigan. Opened in July 1969, the same year as its crosstown competitor Meridian Mall, Lansing Mall consists of 830,052 square feet (77,114.4 m2) of gross leasable area, with approximately 60 stores and restaurants, as well as a food court. Its original anchor stores were Wurzburg's, Federal's, and Montgomery Ward. Only three years after opening, Wurzburg's and Federal's were replaced by J.W. Knapp Company (Knapp's) and Robert Hall Village respectively. In 1979, the Robert Hall space was then vacated as part of an expansion project that also added a new mall wing ending in Hudson's, while J. C. Penney replaced Knapp's a year later and Mervyn's joined in 1987. The mall's anchor stores remained unchanged between then and the first decade of the 21st century: Hudson's was renamed to Marshall Field's, which itself later became Macy's, while the bankrupted Montgomery Ward and Mervyn's were replaced with Younkers and a Regal Entertainment Group movie theater. Following the closures of Macy's and Younkers, the mall's only operational anchor store is J. C. Penney. Other major tenants include Dunham's Sports, Barnes & Noble, a food court, and a 12-screen movie theater. The mall is managed and owned by Kohan Retail Investment Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Gonzalez</span> American computer hacker and criminal

Albert Gonzalez is an American computer hacker, computer criminal and police informer, who is accused of masterminding the combined credit card theft and subsequent reselling of more than 170 million card and ATM numbers from 2005 to 2007, the biggest such fraud in history. Gonzalez and his accomplices used SQL injection to deploy backdoors on several corporate systems in order to launch packet sniffing attacks which allowed him to steal computer data from internal corporate networks.

Colony Square Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Zanesville, Ohio. Opened in 1981, the anchor stores are Cinemark Theatres, Dunham's Sports, Planet Fitness, TJ Maxx, Five Below, Jo-Ann Fabrics, and JCPenney. There is 1 vacant anchor store that was once Elder-Beerman. It is owned by Time Equities, Inc.

Off-price is a trading format based on discount pricing. Off-price retailers are independent of manufacturers and buy large volumes of branded goods directly from them. The off-price retail model relies on the purchase of over-produced, or excess, branded goods at a lower price, thus being able to sell to consumers at a discount compared to other stores which purchased an initial run. Among the largest retailers of this type are TJX Companies and Ross Stores. The model is more common in countries that import fashion-oriented or household goods, as the discount role in producer countries is usually filled by factory outlets or small-scale open-air marketplaces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trade Secret (Australian company)</span>

Trade Secret was a chain of clothing, accessories and home furnishing stores operated by TJX Companies and had 35 stores across Australia by April 2017. The stores were located in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Newcastle, Wollongong, Cairns, Townsville, Toowoomba, Albury, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast. On 3 February 2017, they announced on their website that they would soon be rebranding all existing locations as T.K. Maxx and opening new locations across the east coast. As of 20 April 2017 the stores were operating as T.K. Maxx.

City View Center, situated in Garfield Heights, Ohio, initially featured prominent big-box stores such as Walmart, Giant Eagle, Circuit City, PetSmart, Jo-Ann Fabrics, Dick's Sporting Goods, Bed Bath & Beyond, OfficeMax, Fashion Bug, and A.J. Wright.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "About Our Company - A.J. Wright". TJX Companies. Archived from the original on 20 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-20.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "A.J. Wright About Us". A.J. Wright. Archived from the original on 19 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-20.
  3. ↑ "A.J. Wright Community". A.J. Wright. Archived from the original on 19 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-20.
  4. ↑ "TJX Annual Report (Regulation S-K, item 405) (10-K405) ITEM 1. BUSINESS". Edgar Online. Archived from the original on 2007-10-01. Retrieved 2007-01-21.
  5. 1 2 Duff, Mike (1998-10-05). "TJX opens first three A.J. Wright locations (Discount Store News)". Lebhar-Friedman, Inc. and Gale Group. Archived from the original on 2004-09-20. Retrieved 2007-01-21.
  6. ↑ Duff, Mike (2001-12-10). "Resilient Record Bodes Well For Off-Price Leader - The Super Growth Leaders - TJX Cos - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included". FindArticles. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2007-01-21.
  7. 1 2 "Taking TJX back to the max". Worcester Business Journal. 2006-05-29. Archived from the original on 2006-11-24. Retrieved 2007-01-21.
  8. 1 2 3 "TJX to close 34 A.J. Wright stores". Lebhar-Friedman, Inc. 2006-11-30. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-01-20.
  9. ↑ "TJX Investor Information - SEC Filings". TJX Companies. 2006-12-01. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
  10. ↑ "Dollar General won't cut rural ties". The Post-Standard. 2006-12-07. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2007-01-20.
  11. 1 2 "The TJX Companies, Inc. Reports In-Line November 2006 Sales; Repositions A.J. Wright Division for Future Growth". Business Wire. 2006-11-30. Retrieved 2007-01-20.[ permanent dead link ]
  12. 1 2 "TJX's net income slips". CNN Money.com. 2007-02-21. Archived from the original on 24 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
  13. 1 2 "TJX profit declines, weighed by charge from closing stores". Boston Herald.com. 2007-02-21. Archived from the original on 2007-06-27. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
  14. ↑ "Banks replace check cards after hacking at T.J. Maxx". Wausau Daily Herald. 2007-01-18. Retrieved 2007-01-21.[ permanent dead link ]
  15. ↑ "PC World - Retailer Reports Massive Data Theft". PC World. 2007-01-18. Archived from the original on 20 January 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-21.
  16. ↑ https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131960508%5B%5D
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.