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L.L.Bean history
L.L.Bean company history timeline
1912: Leon Leonwood Bean begins selling the Maine Hunting Shoe through direct mail.
In 1912, the success of his practical footwear launched a company with annual sales that reached more than $1 billion by the end of the twentieth century.
He sold enough shoes that by 1917, he was able to move his business to the main street of Freeport, Maine.
In 1920 Bean opened a showroom store adjacent to his workshop, in accession to the demands of visitors.
In 1920 he constructed a store located on Main Street in Freeport.
In 1922 Bean reengineered the Maine Hunting Shoe by adding a split backstay to help eliminate chafing.
Bean's little mail-order company was a hit in Freeport and beyond, and the firm employed two dozen full-time workers by 1924.
In 1924, the company had been operating for 12 years, had twenty-four employees on its payroll, and posted $135,000 in sales for the year.
1924 saw the release of its iconic canvas field coat, originally marketed as a “Maine Duck Coat” to accompany the boots.
1925: First full-sized catalog is mailed out, featuring nonshoe apparel and sporting gear.
By 1925, with hand knit stockings and other associated items (such as shoelaces) added to his product line, Bean employed 25 people in his operation, and yearly sales had reached $135,000.
The catalog expanded again in 1927, adding fishing and camping equipment to the Bean line.
The Spring 1933 L.L. Bean catalog cover
In 1934, the company would release the leather duffle bag that would become standard issue for collegiate and young adult travelers across America.
1937: Annual sales exceed $1 million for the first time.
In 1944, L.L. Bean produced an “ice bag” which later became known as a “tote,” and launched an enduring item into the wider American wardrobe.
After the victorious end of the war in 1945, America was a happy, prosperous place, with growing families spending more than ever on recreational goods.
By 1950, the company had more than 100 employees and achieved sales of nearly $2 million.
In 1951 Bean, still at the helm as he approached 80, announced that the Freeport retail store would begin operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
1954: A women's department opens at the Freeport retail store.
To address the increasing number of its women fans, L.L. Bean created a department just for them in 1954.
The company furthered its growth by adding a women's department store in 1954.
Gorman was first hired by the company in 1960.
By 1964, sales reached $3 million and profits were $70,000.
In 1965 L.L. Bean released its Norwegian Sweater, meant to mimic the sustained warmth in garments worn by Norwegian fishermen.
By 1975 sales had reached $30 million and the company was employing more than 400 people.
In 1975 L.L. Bean was recognized as a bona fide member of the fashion world when it received the prestigious Coty award.
Dickson, Paul, "L.L. Bean," in Town and Country (New York), February 1977.
Crews, Harry, "L.L. Bean Has Your Number, America!" in Esquire (New York), March 1978.
What began with a single clinic in 1979 has grown to include an activity for everyone – kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, kids’ camps, adventure trips, fishing and much more.
The company enjoyed a similar boom in 1980, when The Official Preppy Handbook by Lisa Birnbach was published and the bestseller identified L.L. Bean as an essential component of yuppie style.
According to Milton Moskowitz, Lisa Birnbach’s Official Preppy Handbook, tongue-in-cheek or not in its declaration of the Bean store as “nothing less than prep mecca,” helped fuel a 42 percent rise in 1981 sales.
In 1982, Bean started producing a simple “book pack” in three colors with the all-important initials on them.
But, by 1983, sales had stagnated.
Montgomery, M. R., In Search of L.L. Bean, Boston, 1984.
Skow, John. "Using the Old Bean." Sports Illustrated, December 2, 1985.
Kerasole, Ted, "L.L. Bean: 75 Years," in Sports Afield (New York), October 1987.
Sales for 1987 surpassed $360 million, with nearly two thousand workers taking orders and selling merchandise.
It wasn’t until 1987 that the iconic “Sunrise Over Katahdin” logo was launched.
1988: First factory store opens in North Conway, New Hampshire.
Zempke, Ron, and Dick Schaaf, "L.L. Bean," in the Service Edge (Minneapolis, MN), 1989.
Increases in the postal rate in 1991 caused the company to charge a shipping and handling fee to its customers for the first time.
Berman, who continued by questioning Gorman’s management decisions, may have been premature in her analysis; by the end of 1992, the company’s 80th anniversary, sales had risen by 18 percent to $743 million.
1992: First international store opens in Tokyo, Japan.
In a 1992 Forbes article, Phyllis Berman placed the problem in a more serious context: “What went wrong? To some extent L. L. Bean is the victim of success.
A second Japanese store was added in July 1993; both are jointly owned by Seiyu and the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.
Retail sales for 1993 (including those for five factory outlet stores and two independently owned retail stores in Japan) reached $125 million.
"l.l. bean." nsm report company profiles, 14 november 1994. available at http://dmworld.com.
Sales continued to grow smartly through the 1995 fiscal year, reaching $976 million, although that figure was three percent below the company's target.
The first catalog and service facility was opened in Japan in 1995.
The llbean.com e-commerce web site has been operational since 1996.
1996: Annual sales exceed $1 billion for the first time.
In spite of these profits, the company offered buyouts and early retirements to eligible employees in 1996.
The company also prides itself since, in 1996, it made the Trendsetter List released by the Labor Department in Washington.
cooper, lane f. "webbing for dollars: being a webmaster is taxing, but the work to keep an electronic-commerce site profitable can be herculean." web commerce, 13 january 1997. available at http://techweb.cmp.com.
With the new line of children's clothing proving to be a great success, L.L. Bean opened an L.L. Kids store adjacent to the flagship retail store in Freeport, in 1997.
As a special service to its Internet customers, its web site in 1998 linked to sites containing information on nearly 1,000 parks where they could camp, fish, hike, or swim—presumably using Bean products.
The L.L. Bean catalogs, a tradition since the company's founding, are the engine that drives company sales; in 1999 the company took in $854 million from catalog sales alone.
2000: Second full-price L.L. Bean store opens in McLean, Virginia.
In 2000 it introduced skin care products to its women's catalogue, focusing on items that protect the skin in the midst of an outdoor lifestyle.
Remarkably, 60 percent of the sales were still coming from the catalogue in the year 2000.
Along with new product launches and a spiffier image came a new CEO in 2001.
In 2011, L.L. Bean launched mobile commerce and have since pushed hard to catch up with its online sales.
Look no further than the 2016 Popular Mechanics article, “The Neverending Greatness of L.L. Bean’s Boots”, offering the subhead: “L.L. Bean has been making its iconic duck boot in Maine for more than a hundred years.
In 2016 Shawn was named Executive Chairman.
2020 also brought about new ways to do business, including our first-ever wholesale partnerships with beloved brands, Staples, Nordstrom, Zappos and SCHEELS, and a new collaboration with renowned designer Todd Snyder.
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L.L.Bean competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neiman Marcus Group | 1907 | $4.9B | 13,500 | 340 |
| Nordstrom | 1901 | $15.0B | 74,000 | 703 |
| Abercrombie & Fitch Co | 1892 | $4.9B | 44,000 | 2,482 |
| Forever 21 | 1984 | $4.0B | 30,000 | 13 |
| Gap Inc. | 1969 | $15.1B | 117,000 | 46 |
| Lord & Taylor | 1826 | $1.4B | 9,000 | - |
| Wolverine World Wide | 1883 | $1.8B | 3,700 | 89 |
| Carhartt | 1889 | $600.0M | 4,000 | 59 |
| VF | 1899 | $10.5B | 50,000 | 1,146 |
| Kohl's | 1962 | $16.2B | 110,000 | 1,163 |
L.L.Bean history FAQs
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L.L.Bean may also be known as or be related to L.L. Bean Outlet, L.L. Bean, Inc., L.L.Bean, L.L.Bean, Inc. and L.l.bean.