Post job

Frederick's of Hollywood company history timeline

1946

Frederick's of Hollywood is an innovative lingerie company established by Frederick N. Mellinger on New York's Fifth Avenue in 1946.

1947

Mellinger took his fancy foundations to more permissive California in 1947, changing the name of the catalog business to Frederick's of Hollywood that same year.

Established in 1947, the company can claim a string of innovations.

1948

He designed his first push-up bra, dubbed the "Rising Star," in 1948.

1952

Frederick opened his first retail store in California in 1952 and others soon followed.

1955

Frederick Mellinger, like the 1955 DeSoto, was very much a creation of postwar American culture.

1962

1962: The company is incorporated as Frederick's of Hollywood, Inc.

1972

1972: The company goes public, but the Mellinger family continues to own a majority stake.

1976

They met at a Dennis Selinger dinner party in 1976 after Frederick had

1984

1984: Frederick's suffers a net loss for the year, its first ever; Mellinger retires.

1985

In May 1985, they hired former Carter Hawley Hale home furnishings division chief George Townson to take the reigns at Frederick's.

1987

Hollywood - Monster working title - released as Ghost Chase in the United States is a 1987 horror comedy film directed by Roland Emmerich, about a film

1988

By 1988, Victoria's Secret had more than triple the annual sales volume with about the same number of stores.

1989

Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley declared "Frederick's of Hollywood Day" on the occasion of the grand reopening, November 8, 1989.

1991

The vast majority (80 percent) of Frederick's nearly 200 stores had been redecorated by 1991.

Mellinger in 1991, has considered altering its image.

1992

In 1992, Fredericks lingerie museum drew national media attention when it was looted during the Los Angeles riots.

1993

Frederick Mellinger's widow had died in 1993, and the family members were in need of cash to pay off estate taxes of between $11 million and $12 million that were coming due.

1995

Indeed, Townson's 1995 letter to shareholders noted that "department stores, mass merchandisers and specialty stores have significantly expanded their intimate apparel lines." By this time, Victoria's Secret alone had $1.8 billion sales and 600 retail outlets.

In 1995 the company made its first international foray, circulating a holiday catalog in Canada.

In 1995, the company made its first international foray, circulating a holiday catalog in Canada.

1996

Following the company's announcement of a loss of $438,000 for the fiscal year ending in August 1996, the stock dipped below the $4 mark.

1997

In June 1996 the Mellinger family put its 50.2 percent stake in Frederick's up for sale. It rebounded, however, after a strong earnings report of $2.9 million for the first half of fiscal 1997.

1998

Originally a mail-order house, by 1998 it had expanded to include 205 retail outlets and an on-line presence at its web site at www.fredericks.com.

1999

In July 1999 Linda LoRe, former president and CEO of upscale fragrance retailer Giorgio Beverly Hills, stepped in as president and CEO of Frederick's.

2000

In June 2000 Knightsbridge sold the company to Wilshire Partners, a private investment firm based in Newport Beach, California, for an undisclosed price.

At this time Frederick's was sagging under the crushing weight of a $70 million debt load, most of which was a legacy of the Knightsbridge takeover, which was devised as a leveraged buyout. Therefore, Frederick's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2000 and secured new financing enabling it to maintain operations and continue to revamp its product lines and stores.

2001

Cost-cutting came to the fore over the next few years, and during 2001 alone Frederick's reduced expenses by $6.5 million.

The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2001.

2003

Part of these savings came from the closure of more than 40 underperforming stores, bringing the total to around 160 by early 2003.

Also debuting were a new line of gift-packaged body care products called Boudoir Cafe and a fragrance line introduced in the fall of 2003.

In 2003, it emerged from bankruptcy and was headquartered in Los Angeles.

2004

F Fredericks of Hollywood perfume a fragrance for women 2004.

In 2004, Dove jump-started the movement toward authenticity in beauty and lingerie marketing with a “Real Beauty” campaign that showed several women with differing but relatable body types, stripped to their underwear.

2006

Frederick s personal lifeHollywood Dreams is a 2006 American comedy - drama film written and directed by Henry Jaglom.

2007

More recent efforts by the company to update and elevate its image included a Dita Von Teese for Frederick’s of Hollywood line, introduced in 2007 but unaccountably discontinued.

2008

In 2008, the company changed its name to Fredericks of Hollywood Group Inc.

2014

The company was traded on the American Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol FOHL, but in May 2014, the company was taken private by Harbinger Group and other investors.

2015

In 2015, the company closed its stores and again filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

2017

multiple storylines in a modern fairy tale tribute to the final moments of Hollywood s golden age Announced in July 2017, it is the first Tarantino film

“They never stuck with a new direction long enough to create the necessary momentum,” wrote Cora Harrington, the editor in chief of The Lingerie Addict, way back in 2017. “Every new venture was a short-term experiment.”

2018

Megan fox fredericks of hollywood fall 2018 1.

2020

3 Best Fredericks of Hollywood Coupons, Promo Codes Sep 2020.

2022

"Frederick's of Hollywood ." St James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture. . Retrieved June 21, 2022 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/media/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/fredericks-hollywood

Work at Frederick's of Hollywood?
Share your experience
Founded
1946
Company founded
Headquarters
Natchez, MS
Company headquarter
Get updates for jobs and news

Rate how well Frederick's of Hollywood lives up to its initial vision.

Zippia waving zebra

Frederick's of Hollywood jobs

Do you work at Frederick's of Hollywood?

Does Frederick's of Hollywood communicate its history to new hires?

Frederick's of Hollywood competitors

Company nameFounded dateRevenueEmployee sizeJob openings
Lids Sports Group1995$190.0M2,000-
Genesco1924$2.3B21,00020
Cach2013$276.8M500-
Sam Goody1951---
Glik's1897$46.0M218-
Work 'N Gear2002$30.0M25-
Schurman Retail Group1950$300.0M25-
BonWorth1968$26.0M119-
Gents Formal Wear-$44.0M125-
Vitamin Shoppe1977$1.1B4,022287

Frederick's of Hollywood history FAQs

Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Frederick's of Hollywood, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Frederick's of Hollywood. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Frederick's of Hollywood. 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 Frederick's of Hollywood. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Frederick's of Hollywood and its employees or that of Zippia.

Frederick's of Hollywood may also be known as or be related to FREDERICK'S OF HOLLYWOOD GROUP INC /NY, Frederick's Of Hollywood and Frederick's of Hollywood.