Burlington history

Prior to 1975, manufacturers were allowed to fix their prices in collusion with the more entrenched, conventional retailers, such as department stores, that sold their merchandise at standard prices.

By 1982 the Company exceeded $130 million in annual sales.

By 1983 annual sales had climbed to nearly $300 million, and the company was becoming a giant in the retail industry.

The Company operated 31 stores at the time of the IPO, and with the capital raised proceeded to double its store count to 68 stores by 1985.

Located a mile and a half from the company's original coat factory and store in Burlington, the distribution center was supported by a new computer system Burlington Coat had instituted in 1988 in anticipation of the new distribution center.

1990: A 438,000-square-foot national distribution center is established.

Annual sales flirted with the $1 billion mark in 1992, then reached $1.2 billion the following year.

In 1993, Burlington Coat signed an agreement with Mexican retailer Plaza Coloso S.A. de C.V., an operator of supermarkets and department stores, to open a Burlington Coat store in Juarez, Mexico, the company's first store outside the United States.

In 1994, the company operated 185 stores scattered throughout 39 states, generated over $1 billion in sales, and stood poised for further expansion.

By 1998, slightly more than 20 percent of revenues stemmed from coat sales.

1999: Expansion continues; 27 new stores are opened.

Over the ensuing 30 years, the family's grip on the operation of Burlington Coat was maintained by successive generations of Milsteins, led by Monroe Milstein and his wife, Henrietta, who succumbed to cancer in 2001.

The company continued to bolster its store count into the new millennium and by 2003 had opened its 335th store.

Along with its namesake Burlington Coat stores, the company operated five Cohoes Fashions stores; seven Decelle stores, slated to be shut down in fiscal 2004; four Luxury Linens locations; one Totally 4 Kids unit; one Baby Depot; and ten MJM Designer Shoe stores.

By 2005, the Company operated 362 stores in 42 states, with $3.2 billion in annual sales.

In 2006, the company was purchased by Bain Capital Partners for $2.06 billion.

The company reported $4.35 billion in sales for the 12-month period ending August 3, 2013.

Hired Chief Merchandising Officer Jennifer Vecchio in 2015, joining Burlington with 14 years of leadership and merchandising experience in the off-price sector.

In June 2016, it was announced that Burlington Stores had joined the Fortune 500 for the first time.

For the first time in the Company’s history, Burlington’s average new store size in 2017 was below 50,000 gross square feet.

Jennifer Vecchio, formerly Chief Merchandising Officer and Principal, was promoted to President and Chief Merchandising Officer in April 2019.