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Lands' End history
Lands' End company history timeline
Public Company Incorporated: 1963 as Lands’ End Yacht StoresEmployees: 6,500Sales: $734 millionStock Exchanges: New YorkSICs: 5961 Catalog & Mail-Order Houses
In 1964, Comer produced a catalog offering Lands' End's goods through the mail.
In 1970, Lands' End's mail order business had grown large enough to merit computerization of its inventory and sales operations.
Lands' End made its first foray into the world of manufacturing something other than sailing equipment in 1973, when the company began to make its own duffle bags.
In 1975, the company came out with its first all-color catalog, which featured 30 pages of sailing equipment and two full pages of clothing.
After 1977, Lands' End phased out the sailing equipment aspect of its operation altogether, retaining the rugged, reliable, and traditional nature that sailing implied, and applying it to a broader variety of clothing.
In the spring of 1977, Lands' End issued its first catalog that paid serious attention to clothing, with 13 out of 40 pages dedicated to dry goods.
In the spring of 1977, Lands’ End issued its first catalog that paid serious attention to clothing, with 13 out of 40 pages dedicated to dry goods.
In the spring of 1977, Lands’ End issued its first catalogue that paid serious attention to clothing, with 13 out of 40 pages dedicated to dry goods.
In 1978, the company introduced its first button-down Oxford-cloth shirt, heralding the move to offerings of solid, conservative, basic clothing upon which it would build its future.
The company began this shift when it moved its Chicago warehouse to an empty garage in Dodgeville in 1978.
The company had brought its first toll-free 800-number on line, and operators were standing by to take customer calls by the middle of 1978.
Lands’ End had brought its first toll-free 800-number on line, and operators were standing by to take customer calls by the middle of 1978.
The company had brought its first toll-free 800-number online, and operators were standing by to take customer calls by the middle of 1978.
To further support its burgeoning sales and reputation, Lands’ End embarked on a national advertising campaign in 1981.
Confident that sales’ would continue strongly after 1988, the company had amassed a large inventory of merchandise.
In addition, Lands’ End introduced three new specialty catalogs: Buttondowns and Beyond, which featured tailored clothing for men; Coming Home with Lands’ End, with products for the bed and bath; and in August 1990, a separate catalog just for children called Kids.
Whereas the previous two years' catalogs had offered first eight and then 11.5 percent new items, as much as 18 percent of the products in 1990's catalogs were new introductions.
The company’s outdated offerings continued to damage its profitability throughout the start of 1990, and it posted a two-thirds drop in profits in the first quarter of that year.
Whereas the previous two years’ catalogs had offered first eight and then 11.5 percent new items, as much as 18 percent of the products in 1990’s catalogs were new introductions.
Whereas the previous two years’ catalogues had featured first eight and then 11.5 percent new items, 1990 issues had 15 percent and 18 percent new products.
Whereas the previous two years' catalogs had offered first 8 percent and then 11.5 percent new items, as much as 18 percent of the products in 1990's catalogs were new introductions.
Also in 1992, the company created its corporate sales unit.
At the end of 1992, the company reported continued financial strength, earning profits of $33.5 million.
The company continued its move into foreign markets, opening a phone center and distribution facility in the United Kingdom in the fall of 1993.
In 1995, the iconic brand introduced its friendly service and quality apparel for the whole family to the Internet, with the launch of landsend.com.
In 1997 the company opened its first Inlet Store, described by its designers as "a catalog come to life." The Inlet Store prototype, in Richfield, Minnesota, featured a central area decorated in warm, residential tones, designed to overcome resistance some customers had to catalog shopping.
In 1998 President and CEO Michael J. Smith resigned and was replaced by David F. Dyer.
In 1998 management reported that the Internet was still an insignificant but potentially valuable portion of their $1.2 billion business, serving as another venue for already-established customers.
However, a 1999 innovation drew media attention, when Lands’ End became one of the first to provide 3-D apparel modeling for women.
Lands' End made further reductions in early 1999, restructuring the company and eliminating 10 percent of its salaried jobs and closing three of its 19 outlet stores.
In fiscal 2000, Land's End posted revenues of $1.3 billion; online sales made up 10.5 percent of the total.
The virtual model was relaunched in the fall of 2000, and was soon accompanied by the recommendations feature My Personal Shopper.
Sears Roebuck and Co. acquired Lands' End for $1.84 billion in June 2002.
David Dyer left Lands' End in August 2003 (he later became CEO of Tommy Hilfiger Corporation), after which it was overseen by three executives who had followed the company to Sears.
Department store giant Kmart Holding Corp. merged with Sears in March 2005; the new Sears Holdings Corporation had been formed as a parent company to both.
Chandler, Susan and Becky Yerak, "Showdown Over Lands' End in Kmart, Sears Cost CEO Her Job," Chicago Tribune, August 5, 2005.
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Lands' End competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L.L.Bean | 1912 | $1.6B | 5,100 | 33 |
| American Eagle Outfitters | 1977 | $5.3B | 37,000 | 1,283 |
| Neiman Marcus Group | 1907 | $4.9B | 13,500 | 11 |
| Ralph Lauren | 1967 | $6.6B | 18,250 | 361 |
| Nordstrom | 1901 | $15.0B | 74,000 | 908 |
| Gap Inc. | 1969 | $15.1B | 117,000 | 46 |
| Foot Locker | 1974 | $8.0B | 32,175 | 1,128 |
| Lord & Taylor | 1826 | $1.4B | 9,000 | - |
| Talbots | 1947 | $1.3B | 8,737 | 1 |
| Kohl's | 1962 | $16.2B | 110,000 | 1,172 |
Lands' End history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Lands' End, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Lands' End. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Lands' End. 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 Lands' End. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Lands' End and its employees or that of Zippia.
Lands' End may also be known as or be related to LANDS END INC., Land's End, Lands' End, Lands' End Inc and Lands' End, Inc.