Thirty-four brand guides to department stores, discounters and international retailers.
Department stores and discounters are among the oldest retail brands, and many have merged, renamed or closed. These guides set out who owns each name today and say plainly where a chain has gone.
How to use these guides
Each guide covers who owns the name today, where the products are made — by the maker’s own account and, where it differs, by other sources — and the brand’s visual identity. A company’s description of itself is attributed to the company, and where a business has closed we say so plainly. The table at the end gathers the essentials.
Department stores
JCPenney, Belk, Sears, Kmart, Dillard’s and Marshalls.
- JCPenney — The store James Cash Penney opened as a Golden Rule partnership in Kemmerer, Wyoming, in 1902, its Penney’s and JCPenney marks, the 2011 and 2012 “jcp” logos, the return of the red wordmark, and Catalyst Brands ownership since 2025.
- Belk — The Monroe, North Carolina store William Henry Belk opened as the New York Racket in 1888, the Belk Brothers partnerships and co-branded names, the 2010 lowercase logo with blue petals and its “Modern. Southern. Style.” tagline, and lender control since 2024.
- Sears — The Chicago mail-order house renamed Sears, Roebuck and Co. in 1893 by Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck, known for its catalogues, the Wish Book and the Sears Tower, merged with Kmart into Sears Holdings in 2005 and owned since 2019 by Transformco.
- Kmart — The discount chain of the S. S. Kresge Company, which dates its start to Detroit in 1899, opened its Garden City, Michigan, Kmart in 1962, ran the Blue Light Special and Martha Stewart Everyday, joined Sears in Sears Holdings in 2005 and has been owned by Transformco since 2019.
- Dillard’s — The department store William T. Dillard opened as T. J. Dillard’s in Nashville, Arkansas, in 1938, headquartered in Little Rock since 1964, public since 1969 with voting stock held by the Dillard family, and grown by renaming local stores Dillard’s.
- Marshalls — The off-price department store Alfred Marshall and partners started in Beverly, Massachusetts, in 1956 as Marshall’s, with an apostrophe, sold to the Melville Corporation in 1976 and owned by The TJX Companies, parent of T.J. Maxx, since 1995.
Discount and variety stores
Woolworth, Montgomery Ward, Zayre, Ames, Caldor and Bradlees.
- Woolworth — The American five-and-ten begun by Frank Winfield Woolworth in Utica and Lancaster in 1879, whose Cass Gilbert tower was christened the “Cathedral of Commerce,” whose US stores closed in 1997, and whose company became Venator Group and then Foot Locker, Inc.
- Montgomery Ward — The Chicago mail-order business Aaron Montgomery Ward set up in 1872, whose copywriter Robert L. May wrote Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for a 1939 store booklet, whose stores closed in 2001, and whose name was revived online in 2004 and bought by Swiss Colony, now Colony Brands, in 2008.
- Zayre — The Massachusetts discount chain the Feldberg family opened in Hyannis in 1956, named from the Yiddish for “very good,” whose parent launched T.J. Maxx and BJ’s Wholesale Club, sold the stores to Ames in 1988 and became The TJX Companies in 1989.
- Ames — The discount chain the Gilman family opened in 1958 in a former Ames Worsted Textile Company mill in Southbridge, Massachusetts, run from Rocky Hill, Connecticut, which bought the Zayre stores in 1988, filed for bankruptcy in 1990 and 2001, and closed in 2002.
- Caldor — The Connecticut discount chain Carl and Dorothy Bennett opened in Port Chester, New York, in 1951, named by blending their first names, sold to Associated Dry Goods in 1981 and liquidated in 1999; its circulars, slogans and rainbow-era logo.
- Bradlees — The discount chain first opened in New London, Connecticut, in 1958, named after Bradley International Airport, owned by Stop & Shop from 1961 until 1992, later based in Braintree, Massachusetts, and closed after December 2000; Mrs. B and its black-and-gold value signs.
UK and European retailers
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Harrods, Selfridges, Boots and Carrefour.
- Tesco — Jack Cohen’s 1919 market stall in Hackney, a 1924 tea label that joined the initials of supplier T. E. Stockwell to the first letters of Cohen, the Every Little Helps strapline of 1993, the Clubcard of 1995 and the 1996 change to the logo lettering.
- Sainsbury’s — John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury’s Drury Lane shop of 1869, the Sains-berry trademark of 1909 to 1951, Leonard Beaumont’s Albertus packaging, Peter Dixon’s in-house design studio from 1962 and the orange-and-blue identity of 1999.
- Marks & Spencer — Michael Marks’s penny bazaar in Leeds in 1884, the partnership with Thomas Spencer in 1894, the St Michael label of 1928 retired in 2000, and the “This is not just food, this is M&S food” campaign launched in 2004 and revived in 2019.
- John Lewis — A drapery shop opened on Oxford Street in 1864, the employee partnership of 1929, Peter Hatch’s 1960s diamond pattern, Pentagram’s 2018 “John Lewis & Partners” rebrand in Gill Sans, and the Christmas television adverts that began in 2007.
- Harrods — The Knightsbridge department store that grew from the small Brompton shop Charles Henry Harrod took over in 1849, moved into the C. W. Stephens building opened in 1905, carries the motto Omnia Omnibus Ubique and has been owned since 2010 by Qatar Holding.
- Selfridges — The department store Harry Gordon Selfridge opened on Oxford Street on 15 March 1909, rebranded in 1998 as it left the Sears group, known for the disc-clad Future Systems store in Birmingham, and co-owned since 2022 by Central Group, with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund joining in 2024.
- Boots — The chemist chain that grew from the shop John Boot set up in Goose Gate, Nottingham, in 1849, became Boots Pure Drug Company in 1888, joined Walgreens Boots Alliance in 2014 and, Wikipedia and the company say, became the standalone Boots Group under Sycamore Partners in 2025.
- Carrefour — The French retailer founded in Annecy in 1959 by Marcel Fournier and Jacques and Denis Defforey, named after a crossroads, whose red and blue logo with a hidden “C” dates from 1966 and was redrawn by Wolff Olins in 2009; headquartered in Massy.
Department stores II
Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, El Corte Inglés and KaDeWe.
- Bloomingdale’s — The New York department store that grew from the Bloomingdale brothers’ 1872 East Side Bazaar, moved to 59th Street and Lexington Avenue, joined Federated (now Macy’s, Inc.) in 1930 and has carried Massimo Vignelli’s Big Brown Bag since 1973.
- Saks Fifth Avenue — The store Andrew Saks founded in Washington in 1867, the Fifth Avenue building opened with Gimbel Brothers in 1924, the cursive logo Pentagram’s Michael Bierut cut into 64 tiles in 2007, and ownership since 2024 by Saks Global, renamed Exemplar Luxury Group in 2026.
- Neiman Marcus — The Dallas store Herbert Marcus, Carrie Marcus Neiman and A. L. Neiman opened in 1907, its Main and Ervay building of 1914, the Christmas Book published since 1926 with its fantasy gifts, and ownership since 2024 by Saks Global, renamed Exemplar Luxury Group in 2026.
- Lord & Taylor — The New York store Samuel Lord opened in 1826, its 1914 Fifth Avenue building by Starrett & van Vleck, the closure of its last stores in 2021, and the name’s later life online under Saadia Group and, since 2024, Regal Brands Global.
- Galeries Lafayette — The Paris department store Théophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn opened in 1894 at the corner of rue La Fayette, crowned in 1912 by Ferdinand Chanut’s glass dome on Boulevard Haussmann, and run today through the Moulin and Houzé family holding Motier.
- Printemps — The Paris department store Jules Jaluzot opened on Boulevard Haussmann in 1865 and named for spring, rebuilt after an 1881 fire with a Four Seasons facade, owned since 2013 by Divine Investments and relaunched in March 2022 with a green, white and gold identity and a stylised letter P.
- El Corte Inglés — The Spanish department store group that takes its name from a Madrid tailoring shop dating from 1890, run by Ramón Areces from 1935, incorporated in 1940 on calle Preciados, known for its Cortylandia Christmas show and chaired since January 2026 by Cristina Álvarez.
- KaDeWe — The Kaufhaus des Westens that Adolf Jandorf opened on Tauentzienstrasse in Berlin on 27 March 1907 to designs by Emil Schaudt, known from the start by its abbreviation, renovated from 2015 to plans by Rem Koolhaas and OMA, and taken over by Thailand’s Central Group in 2024.
Japanese, Australian and African retailers
AEON, Seven & i Holdings, Daiso, Wesfarmers, Bunnings and Shoprite.
- AEON — The Japanese retail group that traces its roots to a Yokkaichi shop opened by Okada Sozaemon in 1758, merged into Jusco in 1970, adopted the AEON Group name in 1989, renamed the company AEON in 2001 and moved its Jusco stores to the AEON name from 2011.
- Seven & i Holdings — The Tokyo holding company formed on 1 September 2005 over Ito-Yokado, Seven-Eleven Japan and Denny’s Japan, rooted in a 1920 Asakusa clothing shop called Yokado, whose name joins a “Seven” for its businesses to an “i” for innovation and love.
- Daiso — The Hiroshima company Hirotake Yano started as a truck-borne trading business in 1972 and incorporated as Daiso Industries in 1977, whose shops dropped “The Daiso” for DAISO after a 2019 logo renewal and later added Standard Products and THREEPPY.
- Wesfarmers — The Perth company that began in 1914 as the Westralian Farmers co-operative, shortened its name when it listed in 1984, and has owned Bunnings since 1994, Kmart and Officeworks since the 2007 Coles deal, and stood apart from Coles since the 2018 demerger.
- Bunnings — The hardware chain that grew from the timber business of Arthur and Robert Bunning, who arrived in Western Australia in 1886, has been owned by Wesfarmers since 1994, introduced its red hammer symbol in late 1995 and hosts community sausage sizzles outside its stores.
- Shoprite — The Cape Town supermarket name that opened in a former Wynberg cinema in November 1966, was bought by Pep Stores in May 1979 to form what became Shoprite Holdings, took over Checkers in 1991 and launched the Checkers Sixty60 delivery app in November 2019.
At a glance: founding, owner and base
Taken from each guide’s fact panel, as of October 2026. Ownership changes; follow the link for sources and detail.
| Brand | Founded | Owner | Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEON | Yokkaichi, Mie, Japan (1758) | AEON Co., Ltd., a retail holding company | Today: AEON Co., Ltd., a retail holding company |
| Ames | Southbridge, Massachusetts (1958) | Chain closed 2002; headquarters were in Rocky Hill, Connecticut | Today: Chain closed 2002; headquarters were in Rocky Hill, Connecticut |
| Belk | Monroe, North Carolina, USA (1888 (as New York Racket)) | Belk, Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina | Today: Belk, Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Bloomingdale’s | New York City (1861) | Macy’s, Inc. (Federated since 1930); New York | Today: Macy’s, Inc. (Federated since 1930); New York |
| Boots | Goose Gate, Nottingham (1849) | The Boots Group (Sycamore Partners, from 2025); Beeston, Nottingham | Today: The Boots Group (Sycamore Partners, from 2025); Beeston, Nottingham |
| Bradlees | First store in New London, Connecticut (1958) | Closed after announcing in December 2000 it was going out of business | Today: Closed after announcing in December 2000 it was going out of business |
| Bunnings | Western Australia (1886) | Bunnings Group, owned by Wesfarmers since 1994 | Today: Bunnings Group, owned by Wesfarmers since 1994 |
| Caldor | Second-floor store on Main Street, Port Chester, New York (1951) | Liquidated in 1999; the stores closed that year | Today: Liquidated in 1999; the stores closed that year |
| Carrefour | Annecy, Haute-Savoie, France (1959) | Groupe Carrefour; headquarters in Massy, France | Today: Groupe Carrefour; headquarters in Massy, France |
| Daiso | Yano Shoten, truck-borne trading, by Hirotake Yano (1972) | Daiso Industries, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture | Today: Daiso Industries, Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| Dillard’s | Nashville, Arkansas (1938 (as T. J. Dillard’s)) | Dillard’s, Inc., with voting stock held by the Dillard family | Little Rock, Arkansas (since 1964) |
| El Corte Inglés | Name from: A tailoring shop in central Madrid (1890) | Fundación Ramón Areces and the Álvarez family; Madrid | Today: Fundación Ramón Areces and the Álvarez family; Madrid |
| Galeries Lafayette | Rue La Fayette, Paris (1894) | Motier, the Moulin and Houzé family holding; Paris | Today: Motier, the Moulin and Houzé family holding; Paris |
| Harrods | Brompton, London (1849) | Qatar Holding (since 2010); Knightsbridge, London | Today: Qatar Holding (since 2010); Knightsbridge, London |
| JCPenney | Kemmerer, Wyoming, USA (1902 (Golden Rule store)) | Catalyst Brands, Plano, Texas | Today: Catalyst Brands, Plano, Texas |
| John Lewis | Drapery shop, Oxford Street, London (1864) | Founder: John Lewis | Known for: Diamond pattern; 2018 & Partners identity by Pentagram; Christmas adverts since 2007 |
| KaDeWe | Tauentzienstrasse, Berlin (27 March 1907) | Central Group (since 2024); Berlin | Today: Central Group (since 2024); Berlin |
| Kmart | Detroit, Michigan (1899 (S. S. Kresge Company, per Kmart)) | Transformco (Transform SR Brands LLC) | Today: Transformco (Transform SR Brands LLC) |
| Lord & Taylor | Catherine Street, New York City (1826) | Online name owned by Regal Brands Global (since 2024); stores closed 2021 | Today: Online name owned by Regal Brands Global (since 2024); stores closed 2021 |
| Marks & Spencer | Penny bazaar, Kirkgate Market, Leeds (1884) | Founders: Michael Marks; Thomas Spencer joined as partner | Archive: M&S company archive, University of Leeds |
| Marshalls | Beverly, Massachusetts (1956) | A TJX chain, sister to T.J. Maxx and HomeGoods | Today: A TJX chain, sister to T.J. Maxx and HomeGoods |
| Montgomery Ward | Chicago, Illinois (1872) | Stores closed 2001; Wards name online under Colony Brands | Today: Stores closed 2001; Wards name online under Colony Brands |
| Neiman Marcus | Dallas, Texas (1907) | Exemplar Luxury Group, formerly Saks Global (since 2024); New York | Today: Exemplar Luxury Group, formerly Saks Global (since 2024); New York |
| Printemps | Boulevard Haussmann, Paris (1865) | Divine Investments SA (since 2013); Paris | Today: Divine Investments SA (since 2013); Paris |
| Sainsbury’s | 173 Drury Lane, Covent Garden, London (1869) | Founders: John James Sainsbury and Mary Ann Sainsbury | Archive: Sainsbury Archive, London Museum |
| Saks Fifth Avenue | Washington, D.C. (1867) | Exemplar Luxury Group, formerly Saks Global (since 2024); New York | Today: Exemplar Luxury Group, formerly Saks Global (since 2024); New York |
| Sears | Chicago, Illinois (1893 (as Sears, Roebuck and Co.)) | Transformco (Transform SR Brands LLC) | Today: Transformco (Transform SR Brands LLC) |
| Selfridges | 400 Oxford Street, London (15 March 1909) | Central Group and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund; London | Today: Central Group and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund; London |
| Seven & i Holdings | Tokyo, Japan (2005) | Retail holding company, Chiyoda, Tokyo | Today: Retail holding company, Chiyoda, Tokyo |
| Shoprite | Wynberg, Cape Town, South Africa (1966) | Shoprite Holdings, Cape Town | Today: Shoprite Holdings, Cape Town |
| Tesco | Market stall, Hackney, London (1919) | Founder: Jack Cohen | Known for: Every Little Helps strapline, Clubcard, Value and Finest ranges |
| Wesfarmers | Westralian Farmers Co-operative, Perth (1914) | Wesfarmers Limited, Perth, Western Australia | Today: Wesfarmers Limited, Perth, Western Australia |
| Woolworth | Utica, New York, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania (1879) | US stores closed 1997; company renamed Venator Group (1998), then Foot Locker, Inc. | Today: US stores closed 1997; company renamed Venator Group (1998), then Foot Locker, Inc. |
| Zayre | Hyannis, Massachusetts (stores); family business from 1919 (1956) | Stores sold to Ames 1988; parent renamed The TJX Companies 1989 | Today: Stores sold to Ames 1988; parent renamed The TJX Companies 1989 |
See also all collections.