Batus Inc.

Last updated
British American Tobacco US, Inc. (BATUS, Inc.)
Type Subsidiary
Industry Tobacco
Retail
Insurance
Defunct2004;19 years ago (2004) [1]
FateMerged with the other BAT's U.S. business (Brown & Williamson and R.J. Reynolds to form Reynolds American) [1]
Successor Reynolds American [1]
Headquarters,
Area served
United States
Key people
David Schechter (Director) [2]
Products Cigarettes
Parent British American Tobacco
Subsidiaries Appleton Paper Co.
Farmers Insurance Group

British American Tobacco US, mostly known for its acronym BATUS, was the US subsidiary of multinational company British American Tobacco (BAT), the world's second largest cigarette manufacturer. BATUS served as the U.S. holding company for BAT. [3] In the 1960s, the company diversified into areas such as insurance, drink, and retail.

Contents

In 2004, BATUS merged with the other BAT's U.S. business, Brown & Williamson and R.J. Reynolds, to form Reynolds American. [1]

History

BATUS was created by British American Tobacco as a subsidiary to oversee the US holdings in 1980. [4] [5] [6] Through its BATUS unit, BAT diversified its tobacco holdings with acquisitions in the retail sector, [7] paper sector (through the acquisition of Appleton Paper Company [3] ) and insurance (through the acquisition of Farmers Insurance Group). [8] [9]

Management for BATUS was initially derived from Brown & Williamson Tobacco with B&W's CEO and chairman of the board, Joseph E. Edens, becoming the first president of BATUS in 1980. [6] [10] Edens retired as president in 1981 and was replaced by Charlie McCarty. [6] [11] In 1985, Hank Frigon was elected chief operating officer of the company and it was announced that he would succeed McCarty after he retired. [11]

In 1972, BATUS acquired Kohl Food and Department Stores from the Kohl family. [12] In 1973, the company acquired Saks Fifth Avenue and Gimbel Brothers. [13] In 1982, BATUS acquired Marshall Field & Co and Frederick & Nelson for $310 million. [3] [14] [15]

In 1986, BATUS sold Gimbels to various companies including May Department Stores and Allied Stores. [16] Also in 1986, four investors acquired Kohl's in a leveraged buyout. [12]

To manage the large retail holdings, BAT and BATUS created BATUS Retail Group in the 1980s. The group expanded the current store presence of existing businesses and developed Thimbles, a women's clothing company. [17]

In 1988, BATUS acquired Farmers Group Inc. [18] In 1989, Sir James Goldsmith attempted a hostile takeover of BAT. [19] In an effort to fend off the takeover, BAT divested much of its US operations to raise capital and focus the business. [20] BRG and BATUS was shut down and some remaining administrative operations were consolidated back to Brown and Williamson Tobacco.[ citation needed ]

While the company was not required to file an annual report since they were a subsidiary of British American Tobacco based in London, they did produce reports to assist with financing and investments in the United States. One of BATUS' primary responsibilities was the management of funding and cash from US operations. [21]

Department stores owned by BATUS

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saks Fifth Avenue</span> Multinational department store chain founded in the United States

Saks Fifth Avenue is an American luxury department store chain headquartered in New York City and founded by Andrew Saks. The original store opened in the F Street shopping district of Washington, D.C. in 1867. Saks expanded into Manhattan with its Herald Square store in 1902 and flagship store on Fifth Avenue in 1924. The chain was acquired by Tennessee-based Proffitt's, Inc. in 1998, and Saks, Inc. was acquired by the Canadian-based Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British American Tobacco</span> British multinational tobacco company

British American Tobacco plc (BAT) is a British multinational company that manufactures and sells cigarettes, tobacco and other nicotine products. The company, established in 1902, is headquartered in London, England. As of 2021, it is the largest tobacco company in the world based on net sales.

Kohl's is an American department store retail chain, operated by Kohl's Corporation. As of December 2021 it is the largest department store chain in the United States, with 1,165 locations, operating stores in every U.S. state except Hawaii. The company was founded by Polish immigrant Maxwell Kohl, who opened a corner grocery store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1927. It went on to become a successful chain in the local area, and in 1962 the company branched out by opening its first department store. British American Tobacco Company took a controlling interest in the company in 1972 while still managed by the Kohl Family, and in 1979, the corporation was sold to BATUS Inc. A group of investors purchased the company in 1986 from British American Tobacco and took it public in 1992.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Younkers</span> Online retailer and former department store chain

Younkers Inc. is an American online retailer and former department store chain founded as a family-run dry goods business in 1856 in Keokuk, Iowa. The retailer had evolved over more than 150 years to include a presence in locations throughout Iowa and bordering states in the Midwest region of the United States. It is pronounced yong-kers. Younkers became influential as it acquired several rivals throughout the 20th century both inside and outside of Iowa. The chain itself was sold by the late 1990s, with ownership transferring out of state, and its Des Moines-based headquarters closed by 2003 as a part of a corporate consolidation. Following its last sale in 2006, Younkers operated as a subsidiary of The Bon-Ton, with locations in seven Midwestern states, primarily in shopping malls. As of 2013 the chain operated more than fifty locations in the region. On August 29, 2018, Younkers closed it's doors one last time.

Marshall Field & Company was an upscale department store in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in the 19th century, it grew to become a large chain before Macy's, Inc acquired it in 2005. Its eponymous founder, Marshall Field, was a pioneering retail magnate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saks, Inc.</span> American defunct holding company

Saks, Inc. was an American holding company founded in 1919. Before acquisition by the Canadian-founded Hudson's Bay Company in 2013, it held ownership of department store chains including New York City-based Saks Fifth Avenue (1998–2013) and Tennessee-based Proffitt's (1919–2005). It acquired several mid-range department store chains in the 1990s, however, refocused on upscale retailing and divested of them in the mid-2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord & Taylor</span> American department store

Lord & Taylor is a digital first retailer which was originally the oldest surviving brick-and-mortar department store retailer in the United States. In business since 1826, the retailer transformed from their traditional brick-and-mortar format to becoming a digital first format since 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gimbels</span> Defunct American department store

Gimbel Brothers was an American department store corporation that operated for over a century, from 1842 until 1987. Gimbel patriarch Adam Gimbel opened his first store in Vincennes, Indiana, in 1842. In 1887, the company moved its operations to the Gimbel Brothers Department Store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It became a chain when it opened a second, larger store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1894, moving its headquarters there. At the urging of future company president Bernard Gimbel, grandson of the founder, the company expanded to New York City in 1910.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivey's</span>

Ivey's, a former department store chain, was acquired by Dillard's, Inc. in 1990. Ivey's was based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and was founded in 1900 by Joseph Benjamin Ivey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaufmann's</span> Department store that originated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Kaufmann's was a department store that originated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick & Nelson</span> American department store chain

Frederick & Nelson was a department store chain in the northwestern United States, based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891 as a furniture store, it later expanded to sell other types of merchandise. The company was acquired by Marshall Field & Company in 1929. By 1980, the Frederick & Nelson chain had expanded to 10 stores in two states. The company went out of business in 1992. Its former Seattle flagship store building is now occupied by the flagship Nordstrom store.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frango</span> Brand of chocolate truffles

Frango mints are a brand of chocolate truffles first created for the Frederick & Nelson department stores. Traditionally flavored with mint and widely popularized by the Marshall Field and Company department store, they were later produced and distributed by Macy's department stores. Frango is also the brand name of a line of various other related food products.

The Beaver Valley Mall is a regional shopping mall located in Center Township, Pennsylvania, serving Beaver County within the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. It is owned by the Namdar Realty Group. The mall features the traditional retailers Boscov's, Dick's Sporting Goods, JCPenney, Rural King, as well as a Planet Fitness. This mall currently features a number of prominent specialty retailers such as Bath and Body Works, Champs, Journeys, and Shoe Dept Encore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southridge Mall (Wisconsin)</span> Shopping mall in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, U.S.

Southridge Mall is a regional shopping mall located in the Milwaukee County suburbs of Greendale and Greenfield, Wisconsin. At 1,177,783 square feet it is Wisconsin's second largest mall behind Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa, tied with Fox River Mall in Appleton. The mall's anchor stores are TJ Maxx, Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, Macy's, JCPenney, and Round 1 Entertainment. There are 2 vacant anchor stores that were once Boston Store and Kohl's. Sears closed in September 2017, Kohl's relocated to a mixed use development on September 29, 2018, and Boston Store closed in Summer 2018 as parent company Bon-Ton went out of business. The former Sears was replaced by Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, Round 1 Entertainment, and TJ Maxx.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Crescent (department store)</span> Defunct American department store chain

The Crescent was a small chain of department stores founded and based in Spokane, Washington. Once a subsidiary of Marshall Field & Company, the chain was sold to BATUS Retail Group in 1982. BATUS renamed the stores Frederick & Nelson, the company's Seattle, Washington division, in 1988. Frederick and Nelson eventually filed for bankruptcy and liquidated in 1992. At its peak, The Crescent operated seven department stores in Washington and Oregon, including three in Spokane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kohl's Food Stores</span> Grocery store chain

Kohl’s Food Stores was a Milwaukee-area grocery store chain and subsidiary of The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company. Kohl’s Food Stores distribution center was located in Waukesha, while its management offices were located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernard Gimbel</span> American businessman (1885–1966)

Bernard Feustman Gimbel was an American businessman and president of the Gimbels department store.

Bruce Alva Gimbel was an American businessman and president of the Gimbels department store.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store</span> Department store flagship in Manhattan, New York

The Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store is a department store in Midtown Manhattan, New York City on Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets. The original 10-story structure at 611 Fifth Avenue has served as the flagship store of Saks Fifth Avenue since its completion in 1924. The store also occupies part of 623 Fifth Avenue, a 36-story tower completed in 1990.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Reynolds American Inc., SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION report, Juny 30, 2004
  2. 1 2 Batus, Inc. profile on Open Corporates.com
  3. 1 2 3 Knight, Jerry (17 March 1982). "Batus Inc. To Acquire Field Stores". Washington Post.
  4. Gellene, Denise (1988-01-14). "British Firm Bids $4 Billion to Acquire Farmers Group". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  5. 1 2 Clary, Isabelle (25 April 1990). "B.A.T Industries sells Saks Fifth Avenue for $1.5 billion". UPI. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  6. 1 2 3 "Joseph Edens, retired tobacco executive dies". The Paducah Sun. 7 December 1987. Retrieved 2020-10-21 via Newspapers.com.
  7. Barmash, Isadore (3 March 1983). "BATUS INC.'S RETAIL CHIEF RESIGNING (Published 1983)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331.
  8. Batus Inc.: The Louisville, Ky., holding company... on Los Angeles Times, 9 May 1989
  9. BATUS INC'S HEARINGS UNDER WAY IN ILLINOIS on Journal of Commerce, Jun 7, 1988
  10. Cray, Douglas W. (1974-12-07). "People and Business Banker Sees Hope Amid Gloom (Published 1974)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  11. 1 2 Gilpin, Kenneth N. (1985-01-03). "BUSINESS PEOPLE; Batus Head to Succeed Retiring Chief Officer (Published 1985)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  12. 1 2 "BUSINESS PEOPLE; Kohl's 'Driving Force' On the Road to Buyout (Published 1986)". The New York Times. 1986-05-26. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  13. Clifford, Stephanie; Lattman, Peter (29 July 2013). "Hunting for Luxury, Retail Giant Buys Saks". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  14. Marshall Field & Co. and BATUS Inc., a subsidiary... on UPI archived, 16 Mar 1982
  15. Flores, Michele (16 January 1994). "Downtown Dealmaker -- Frederick & Nelson Heir Holds The Key To Revitalizing Seattle's Retail Core | The Seattle Times". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  16. Groves, Martha (1986-09-11). "Batus to Sell Last of Famed Gimbels Stores". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  17. Barmash, Isadore (1987-05-05). "COMPANY NEWS; Saks, Field's Report 1986 Income Gains (Published 1987)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  18. Adelson, Andrea (1988-08-25). "B.A.T. Bid Is Accepted By Farmers (Published 1988)". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  19. "COMPANY NEWS; Goldsmith Says Bid For B.A.T. in Snag (Published 1989)". The New York Times. 1989-09-01. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  20. Keppel, Bruce (1989-09-27). "BAT Industries to Sell Assets in Bid to Stymie Goldsmith". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
  21. "Industry Documents Library".
  22. History on Kohl's company website