Everything about Younkers totally explained
Younkers is an American
department store chain with locations in the
Midwestern
United States. The chain concentrates on the middle and upper-class segments of the market.
History
Beginnings
The company was founded by
Polish immigrant brothers Lipman, Samuel, and Marcus Younker, who opened a general store in
Keokuk,
Iowa in 1856. Herman Younker, the youngest of the brothers, opened a dry goods store in
Des Moines, Iowa in 1874. Following Samuel's death in 1879, the Keokuk store was closed and the Des Moines location became the main store. In 1899 the Younker brothers' main store in downtown Des Moines was moved to 7th and Walnut Streets, and it operated at the same location for 106 years before closing on
August 12,
2005. The downtown Des Moines store became known for its Tea Room restaurant, which opened in 1913 and closed shortly before the store did. It also installed
Iowa's first
escalator, known as the "electric stairs," in 1939.
Younkers Incorporated
A series of additions, enlargements, and mergers resulted in the company changing its name to Younkers Incorporated. The Grand Department Store in downtown Des Moines was purchased in 1912. The company started growing in the 1920s by acquiring other department stores throughout Iowa, including Wilkins Department Stores (1923), Harris-Emery (1927), and J. Mandelbaum and Sons (1928). The Iowa-based retailers Britnalls of
Marshalltown and Davidson's of
Sioux City were acquired in 1948 and Yetters of
Iowa City was acquired in 1949. Younkers began expanding outside of Iowa during the 1950s and opened its first
shopping mall store in
Omaha, Nebraska, in 1955. (It acquired another Omaha department store, Kilpatrick's, in 1961.) By 1978 Younkers had 28 stores in five states.
Acquisitions of Brandeis and H.C. Prange
Younkers was operated by the Equitable of Iowa insurance company from 1979 to 1992 after being a publicly-traded company since 1948. Under Equitable's ownership, Younkers acquired all 11 locations of the Omaha-based
Brandeis department store chain in 1987. After returning to public ownership on the
NASDAQ on
April 22,
1992, Younkers purchased the 22 stores of the
H.C. Prange chain in
Wisconsin and
Michigan.
Acquisition by Proffitt's
After a hostile
takeover bid by
Carson Pirie Scott was rejected in 1995, Younkers' shareholders agreed to a friendly takeover by
Proffitt's, Inc., of
Knoxville, Tennessee. The acquisition was completed in October 1996; Proffitt's would later acquire Carson Pirie Scott, and in 1998 Proffitt's merged with
Saks Fifth Avenue to form
Saks Incorporated. In 2003, Saks closed Younkers' headquarters in Des Moines and merged its operations with those of Carson Pirie Scott in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Sale to The Bon-Ton
Saks sold Younkers and its other Northern Department Store Group stores (Carson Pirie Scott,
Bergner's,
Boston Store, and
Herberger's) to
Bon-Ton Stores in a $1.1 billion deal that was completed on
March 6,
2006 (External Link
).
Locations
As of 2007, Younkers has 46 stores in Iowa,
Illinois,
Michigan,
Minnesota,
Nebraska,
South Dakota, and
Wisconsin. Most of its stores are anchors of shopping malls.
Future locations
Michigan
- Okemos - Meridian Mall (Men's & Home store, opening 2008 in former Mervyns. Existing Younkers in mall will be converted to Younkers Women's)
Current locations
Illinois
Moline - SouthPark Mall (opened 1974)
Iowa
Ames - North Grand Mall
Cedar Falls - College Square Mall
Cedar Rapids » *Lindale Mall (opened 1960)
*Westdale Mall (opened 1980)
Coralville - Coral Ridge Mall (opened 1998)
Davenport - NorthPark Mall (opened 1973)
Des Moines » *Merle Hay Mall (opened 2004; originally Montgomery Ward, operated as Famous-Barr from 2000 to 2004)
*Southridge Mall (opened 1975)
Dubuque - Kennedy Mall
- Main store
- Home store (occupies half of former Roshek's/Armstrong's space)
Fort Dodge - Crossroads Mall
Mason City - Southbridge Mall
Marshalltown - Marshall Town Center
Sioux City - Southern Hills Mall (opened 1980)
Waterloo - Crossroads Center (former Herberger's; store was originally one level of a two-story JCPenney store. JCPenney still operates on other level)
West Burlington - Westland Mall
West Des Moines » *Jordan Creek Town Center (opened on site of cancelled Famous-Barr in 2004)
*Valley West Mall (opened 1975 as Brandeis; converted to Younkers 1987)
Michigan
Bay City - Bay City Mall (opened 1991 as Prange's, converted to Younkers in 1992)
Grandville - Rivertown Crossings (opened 1999)
Holland - Westshore Mall (opened 1988 as Prange's, converted to Younkers in 1992)
Lansing - Lansing Mall (opened 2003 in former Montgomery Ward)
Marquette - Westwood Mall (opened 1974 as Prange's, converted to Younkers in 1992)
Okemos - Meridian Mall (opened 2003 in former Jacobson's, previously occupied Service Merchandise, which was originally Woolco. Store will be converted to Women's in 2008 with men's and home departments being moved into former Mervyns at mall)
Muskegon - The Lakes Mall (opened 2001)
Port Huron - Birchwood Mall (opened 1990 as Prange's, converted to Younkers in 1992)
Traverse City - Cherryland Center (opened 1976 as Prange's, converted to Younkers in 1992)
Minnesota
Austin - Oak Park Mall (opened 1975)
Duluth - Miller Hill Mall (opened as Glass Block, Glass Block parent Mercantile Stores in 1998 sold entire chain to Dillard's who immediately sold this location to what then known as Saks, Inc and reopened as Younkers)
Nebraska
Grand Island - Conestoga Mall (former Brandeis)
Lincoln - Westfield Gateway (former Brandeis)
Omaha » *Oak View Mall
*Westroads Mall (opened 2003 in former Jones Store; Jones Store space was formerly Montgomery Ward)
South Dakota
Sioux Falls - Empire Mall
Wisconsin
Appleton - Fox River Mall
Ashwaubenon (Green Bay) - Bay Park Square
Eau Claire - Oakwood Mall (former Target)
Fond Du Lac - Forest Mall (opened 1966 as Prange's; converted to Younkers in 1992)
Manitowoc - Edgelake Plaza (former Prange's)
Marinette - Pine Tree Mall (former Prange's, but moved to site of former Prange Way)
Marshfield - [Shoppesat Wood Ridge](External Link) (former Northway Mall) (former Prange's)
Sheboygan - Harbor Centre (former Prange's)
Sturgeon Bay - 58 North 3rd Ave.
Superior - Mariner Mall (former Prange's)
Wausau - Wausau Center Mall
Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin - Rapids Mall
Former locations
Illinois
Machesney Park - Machesney Park Mall (former Prange's; later Younkers, now Bergner's)
Rockford - Cherryvale Mall (former Prange's; later Younkers, now Bergner's)
Iowa
Bettendorf - Duck Creek Plaza] (opened 1960, closed 2001; mall torn down)
Des Moines » *7th and Walnut Streets (opened 1899, closed 2005)
*Eastgate Shopping Center » *Merle Hay Mall
**Original store (opened 1959, rebuilt after 1978 fire, replaced 2004, torn down for Target) » **Home store (opened 1974, closed 1991, now Kohl's)
Iowa City - Old Capitol Mall (closed 2005)
Newton - Newton Mall (mall demolished 2007 for Hy-Vee)
Sioux City - Downtown (opened 1948, closed February 18, 2007)
Nebraska
Bellevue - South Roads Mall (former Brandeis; mall converted to offices)
Omaha » *Crossroads Mall (former Brandeis; torn down for Target)
*The Center (former Kilpatrick's; mall converted to offices) » *Westroads Mall (former Kilpatrick's; relocated to former Jones Store in 2003. Torn down; Rave Motion Pictures movie theater being constructed in its place)
Wisconsin
Eau Claire - London Square Mall
Green Bay - Port Plaza Mall (a.k.a. Washington Commons) (opened in 1927 as Prange's; connected to mall in 1977; converted to Younkers in 1992, closed 2004, torn down in 2007)
Greendale - Southridge Mall (now Cost Plus World Market, Linens 'n Things, and Steve & Barry's)
Madison - East Towne Mall (opened 1971 as Prange's; converted to Younkers in 1992, now Boston Store)
Milwaukee - Granville Station (former Northridge Mall) (opened 1972 as Gimbels, became Marshall Field's 1986, Prange's late 1980s, Younkers 1992. Closed 2000, became Boston Store from 2000 to 2003. Now partially occupied by Value City Furniture)
Oshkosh - City Center (former Park Plaza Mall) (opened 1970 as Prange's, converted to Younkers in 1992, closed 1995)
Racine - Regency Mall (now Steve & Barry's)
Further Information
Get more info on 'Younkers'.
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