Burlington Brand Guidelines: Beyond the Coat Factory, the Heart-‘B’ & Off-Price

Burlington grew from a coat outlet into a department store.

Burlington is a lesson in outgrowing a name. It was founded in 1972 by Monroe Milstein, who bought a former coat factory outlet in Burlington, New Jersey for about $675,000 (his wife Henrietta reportedly funded most of the down payment from her savings). The name comes directly from the New Jersey town, and the business began selling winter overcoats as “Burlington Coat Factory,” before diversifying into apparel, linens, gifts, shoes and a baby department to reduce seasonal reliance. From coats to a full store, it grew into a major off-price retailer. (Honest caveats: no official brand hex or wordmark typeface is published, so the colours and type here are approximate.)

The defining brand story is the rebrand. The company formally became “Burlington Stores, Inc.” in 2013 and dropped “Coat Factory” from its consumer branding around 2014, becoming simply “Burlington” — signalling that it’s a full off-price department store (apparel, home, the Baby Depot, accessories), not just a coat outlet. It was a smart move: the old name no longer matched the assortment, and the simplification let the brand stand for much more than outerwear. (One long-running legal note: Burlington had to distinguish itself from the unrelated textiles firm Burlington Industries.)

Burlington is one of the “big three” US off-price retailers, alongside TJX (T.J. Maxx/Marshalls) and Ross — selling brand-name and designer overstock and closeouts at steep discounts (it’s the smallest of the three, but a major player). On ownership, Burlington was taken private by Bain Capital in 2006 and re-IPO’d in 2013, trading on the NYSE as BURL (headquartered in Burlington Township, New Jersey). Its identity is a warm red wordmark with the “B” stylised as a heart — friendly and value-forward. A coat outlet, all grown up.

Burlington lives in red. Click a swatch to copy the hex.

Burlington’s palette is anchored by a warm red — friendly, energetic and value-forward — with white. The red reads as inviting and lively (reinforced by the heart in the “B”), matching an off-price retailer built on the thrill of a bargain, and it differentiates Burlington within the off-price category. It’s a bold, approachable, high-recognition scheme that pops on a storefront and feels welcoming rather than cheap. The heart detail gives the red a warm, likeable character. The honest caveat: Burlington publishes no official public brand hex — the red here is an observed approximation (near #C01E43), not a confirmed spec.

The lesson is a warm red with a friendly detail. Burlington’s red, plus the heart-“B,” reads as inviting and likeable. For designers, it’s a reminder that a warm primary and a small human touch can make a value brand feel welcoming. The takeaways: use a warm, energetic primary for an off-price brand (the red); add a friendly, ownable detail (the heart in the “B”); and treat specific hexes as approximate when no official spec is published.

The wordmark is a bold serif — friendly and confident.

Burlington’s bold serif wordmark — the red “Burlington,” with the “B” stylised as a heart and tilted slightly — is friendly and confident. The strong serif letterforms read as established and trustworthy, a step up from a plain discount look, while the heart-“B” adds warmth, personality and likeability that soften the off-price positioning. Together they signal a value store that’s welcoming and a bit stylish, not just cheap — exactly the “grown-up, more than coats” identity the rebrand aimed for. (Because the exact face is custom and undocumented, the honest description is “a bold serif,” not a named font.) The type behaves like the brand: friendly, confident and value-forward.

Burlington updated its name to match reality.

Burlington is a lesson in updating a brand name to match what the business has become. “Burlington Coat Factory” once described the store perfectly — but as the company grew into a full off-price department store, the old name undersold it and even confused shoppers (many didn’t realise it sold far more than coats). Dropping “Coat Factory” to become simply “Burlington” was a disciplined, smart rebrand: it let the name stand for the full assortment and modern positioning, while the warm red heart-“B” kept the brand friendly and recognisable. It’s a clean example of aligning a name with reality.

For designers and brand-builders, Burlington offers a clear takeaway: a name should match what the brand has become — don’t let it undersell you. The lessons: rebrand when the name no longer fits the business (dropping “Coat Factory”); keep a warm, ownable identity through the change (the red heart-“B”); and clarify the positioning (a full off-price department store, not just coats). It’s also a reminder to keep the facts precise — Burlington was founded in 1972 by Monroe Milstein as Burlington Coat Factory (named after Burlington, New Jersey), rebranded to “Burlington Stores” / “Burlington” around 2013–14, is one of the big-three US off-price retailers with TJX and Ross, was taken private by Bain in 2006 and re-IPO’d in 2013 (NYSE: BURL), and uses the red heart-“B” wordmark. Burlington’s rebrand fit the store — proof that a name should match reality.

Keep Burlington’s identity on hand — save it to a board in the Made Good inspiration library.