CompUSA was a retailer and reseller of personal computers, consumer electronics, technology products and computer services. Starting with one brick-and-mortar store in 1986 under the name Soft Warehouse, by the 1990s CompUSA had grown into a nationwide big box chain. At its peak, it operated at least 229 locations. Crushed by competition from other brick-and-mortar retailers, corporate oversight which was out of touch with evolving market realities, and a failure to make a strong transition to online sales, CompUSA began closing what they classified as “low performing” locations in 2006. By 2008 only 16 locations were left to be sold to Systemax. In 2012, remaining CompUSA and Circuit City stores were converted to TigerDirect stores, and later closed. CompUSA has ceased operations.
Baja Fresh is an American chain of fast-casual Tex Mex restaurants founded in Newbury Park, California in 1990 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona and is owned by Canadian franchisor MTY Food Group. The chain emphasizes fresh ingredients, each restaurant featuring a self-serve salsa bar.
Wolverine World Wide, Inc. or Wolverine Worldwide, is a publicly traded American footwear manufacturer based in Rockford, Michigan. The shoemaker is known for its eponymous brand, Wolverine Boots and Shoes, as well as other brands, such as Hush Puppies and Merrell. The company also manufactures licensed footwear for other firms, such as Caterpillar and Harley-Davidson. In 2012, Wolverine World Wide added Saucony, Keds, Stride Rite and Sperry Top-Sider to its list of brands, after acquiring the Performance Lifestyle Group of Collective Brands in a $1.23 billion transaction that also involved the sale of Payless ShoeSource and Collective Licensing International to private equity firms Blum Capital Partners and Golden Gate Capital.
PVH Corp., formerly known as the Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation, is an American clothing company which owns brands such as Van Heusen, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, IZOD, Arrow, Warner's, Olga, True & Co., and Geoffrey Beene. The company also licenses brands such as Kenneth Cole New York and Michael Kors. PVH is partly named after Dutch immigrant John Manning Van Heusen, who in 1910 invented a new process that fused cloth on a curve.
VF Corporation is an American worldwide apparel and footwear company founded in 1899 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The company's more than 30 brands are organized into three categories: Outdoor, Active and Work. The company controls 55% of the U.S. backpack market with the JanSport, Eastpak, Timberland, and North Face brands.
Wet Seal is an American fast fashion retailer headquartered in Los Angeles, California. The fast fashion pioneer sells trendy, affordable apparel, accessories, and footwear for young women of all sizes predominantly in their teens, twenties and thirties. The company was founded in Newport Beach, California, by Lorne Huycke in 1962 as "Lorne's". The "Wet Seal" name comes from a comment Huycke made during a fashion show commenting that a model wearing a bathing suit looked like a "wet seal". The company was incorporated as Wet Seal in 1990.
Charming Shoppes is a specialty and plus size clothing retail holding company based in Bensalem, Pennsylvania; a suburb of Philadelphia. Its subsidiaries include Lane Bryant, Cacique, Fashion Bug and Catherines Plus. Clothes were sold from over 2300 retail stores in the United States, as well as numerous catalogs and online sites. In 2012, the company and assets were acquired by Ascena Retail Group.
Destination XL Group, Inc. (DXLG) is a specialty retailer of men's big and tall apparel, with operations throughout the United States, Canada and London, England. The company is headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts, and operates both retail stores and ecommerce businesses through its five trade names: DXL, Rochester Clothing, Casual Male XL, Shoes XL, and Living XL. It was listed on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol "DXLG" until December 2020 when its stock moved to the OTCQX Market
Chico's FAS is an American women's clothing and accessories retailer founded in 1983 on Sanibel Island, Florida. The company was founded by Marvin and Helene Gralnick and is headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida. Chico's FAS operates four brands: its namesake Chico's store, White House Black Market, Soma and TellTale. As of October 2019, Chico's FAS operated 1,376 women's clothing stores in the US and Canada, and sold merchandise online. Merchandise was also sold through franchise locations in Mexico and U.S. airport locations.
Scandinavian Tobacco Group is a manufacturer of cigars and traditional pipe tobacco. The company is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, and is a publicly listed Company on NASDAQ Copenhagen.
Starter, Inc. is an American clothing manufacturer, focusing of major league sports teams. Starter's current licenses include MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL teams. Non-sports agreements include a partnership with Coca-Cola.
Thompson Cigar Company is a cigar and cigar accessories retailer located in Tampa, Florida. Thompson Cigar is the oldest mail order cigar company in the United States. Originally located in Key West, Florida, Thompson Cigar first opened in 1915. In 1920, after hurricanes decimated most of the cigar factories in Key West, original owner M.A. Thompson moved his factory to Ybor City, located in Tampa, Florida, known as "Cigar Capital of the World." Thompson acquired Postal Permit #1 in the city of Tampa, which it still holds today. In 1934, M.A. Thompson moved his factory to Bartow, Florida where it would remain until 1960.
Varsity Spirit, LLC, also known as Varsity, is an American cheerleading company owned by Varsity Brands. Founded in 1974 as the Universal Cheerleaders Association, the company is a manufacturer of apparel for cheerleading and dance teams, organizer of cheerleading competitions, and operator of training camps and sanctioning bodies.
Kellwood Apparel is an American apparel manufacturer. Founded in 1961, Kellwood's portfolio of Women's, Juniors and Girls apparel includes: Parker, Devlin, Briggs NY, Democracy, Jax, Rewind and My Michelle, as well as licensed brands. Kellwood became an affiliated company of Sun Capital Partners, Inc. in February, 2008. In December 2016, Kellwood company was acquired by an unnamed Hong Kong investor group for an undisclosed amount.
Casual Corner was an American retail clothing chain founded in 1950. It operated stores under the names Casual Corner, Petite Sophisticate and August Max Woman brands among others. Casual Corner operated more than 525 stores at its peak.
C.C. Filson is an American privately owned outfitter and manufacturer of goods for outdoor enthusiasts. The company, based in Seattle, Washington, designs, manufactures, distributes and sells men's and women's outdoor clothing, accessories and luggage. Filson sells its products via company-owned retail stores, catalogs and the Filson website as well as through authorized dealers in the United States and international distributors. The company was originally established in Seattle in 1897 as C.C. Filson's Pioneer Alaska Clothing and Blanket Manufacturers to meet the needs of prospectors passing through Seattle on their way to the Klondike Gold Rush; as of 2012 the brand is owned by Bedrock Manufacturing founder Tom Kartsotis, who also owns Shinola Detroit.
Authentic Brands Group LLC is an American brand management company headquartered in New York City. Its holdings include various apparel, athletics, and entertainment brands, for which it partners with other companies to license and merchandise. ABG owns more than 50 consumer brands, as well as the likeness rights and/or estates to a number of celebrities, including Muhammad Ali, Elvis Presley, Shaquille O'Neal, and Marilyn Monroe.
The Life Is Good Company is an American apparel and accessories wholesaler, retailer, and lifestyle brand founded in 1994 and best known for its optimistic T-shirts and hats, many of which feature a smiling stick figure named Jake and the registered trademark "Life is good."
The United States Shoe Corporation was a retailing conglomerate headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, that operated several retail chains and brands mostly in the fields of shoes, clothing and optical.
