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Retail history
Retail company history timeline
Launched in 1980 with the idea that style, quality and value should all be found in one place, Express has always been a brand of the now, offering some of the most important and enduring fashion trends.
Former CEO Michael Weiss joined the brand in 1981 when the test expanded to include eight stores.
By 1986, Express had 250 stores and began testing the sale of men's merchandise in 16 stores the following year.
In the fall of 1987, after seeing the success of his corporate strategy, Rysavy hired a researcher to collect material on the office supply industry.
Boyhood friend and computer software developer Pavel Bouska came from Munich to Colorado to help in 1988.
But at the end of 1992, the company posted revenues of $420 million.
In 1994, the company completed six acquisitions in exchange for 1.7 million shares of stock swapped and revenues skyrocketed to $1.145 billion.
In 1995, the company moved forcefully into the international market with several foreign acquisitions.
In 1996, the company acquired 104 firms, including 46 domestic office product distributors, 32 international office product distributors, and 11 delivery service companies for a total of $241.9 million in cash and approximately 3.6 million shares of stock swapped.
In 1997, the company continued its skyrocketing growth rate with more acquisitions.
Analysts estimated the company would reach $3 billion in the year 2000.
In 2001, Express became a dual gender brand with the reintegration of its Structure stores as "Express Men". Dual gender Express stores began opening the following year.
Structure apparel brand was sold to Sears in 2003.
When the sale was finalized in July 2007, Golden Gate's stake in the company was 75% instead of the announced 67%.
On May 14, 2010, the shares opened at $17 to $16.50 before recovering slightly to close down 1.5% at $16.75 on the New York Stock Exchange.
On May 13, 2010, the company sold 16 million shares for $17 each, raising about $272 million.
On July 29, 2011, Limited Brands sold its remaining ownership interest in the Company, and as a result of this disposition, ceased to be a related party as of the end of the second quarter of 2011.
On March 19, 2012, Golden Gate sold its remaining ownership interest in the Company, and as of May 31, 2012, Golden Gate no longer had representation on the Board.
In May 2017, Express announced that it would close all 17 Canadian stores in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta due to what the retailer cited as "[a] challenging Canadian retail environment" and "unfavorable" exchange rates.
In November 2019, Express announced spinoff UpWest, a DTC lifestyle brand geared towards health, wellness, and sustainability.
On January 22, 2020, Express announced that it would close approximately 100 of its stores in the United States over the next two years as part of a restructuring plan to lower its costs by $80 million annually.
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Retail competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GUESS | 1981 | $3.0B | 14,701 | 307 |
| bebe | 1976 | $428.0M | 4,433 | - |
| Lane Bryant | 1915 | $1.4M | 25 | 16 |
| Gapkids & Baby | 1969 | $15.1B | 117,000 | - |
| Aldo | - | $1.7B | 25 | 1 |
| Pier 1 | 1962 | $1.6B | 18,000 | - |
| White House Black Market | 1985 | $570.0M | 3,098 | - |
| Chinos Holdings, Inc. | 2010 | $2.3B | 18,800 | 3 |
| Chico's FAS | 1983 | $2.1B | 18,500 | 1,949 |
| New York & Company | 1918 | $827.0M | 5,885 | 1 |
Retail history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Retail, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Retail. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Retail. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Retail. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Retail and its employees or that of Zippia.
Retail may also be known as or be related to Express, Express Inc, Express Inc. and Express, Inc.