Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Wilsons Leather history
Wilsons Leather company history timeline
Lyle Berman joined the family business in 1964 after graduating from the University of Minnesota and for a time served as the only salesman in the retail operation.
1967: Berman Brothers begins its transition from a wholesale to a retail operation.
Sales were near $14 million, up from around $3 million in 1969.
Lael Berman, granddaughter of David Berman, wrote in a Corporate Report Minnesota article in 1976, "The company had survived the fur crash of the '20s and the Depression of the '30s, but by the '40s my father and uncle realized they had to get into something else if they wanted to stay in business."
In 1979, W. R. Grace & Company, a New York-based multibillion-dollar specialty chemical company, bought the Berman family business.
Melville acquired the 42-store chain in 1982.
Melville purchased another regional chain, Snyder Leather, in 1992.
1993: Wilsons acquires and merges with Georgetown Leather Design.
Sales: $345.1 million (from inception to February 1, 1997)
According to Jill J. Barshay, in a May 29, 1997 Star Tribune article, the unusual move was made to lure investors to the offering during a difficult market environment.
Despite the store closings Wilsons maintained an estimated 18 percent share of the $2 billion leather clothing market and 2.8 percent of the $3.9 billion leather accessories market as it entered 1997.
Capitalizing on its vertical integration, Wilsons also began to offer design and manufacturing services on a wholesale basis in 2000.
Comparable store sales continued to decline in the first half of fiscal 2003, albeit at a slower rate than the previous year.
Rate how well Wilsons Leather lives up to its initial vision.
Wilsons Leather jobs
Do you work at Wilsons Leather?
Does Wilsons Leather communicate its history to new hires?
Wilsons Leather competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | 1941 | $6.7B | 30,000 | 598 |
| Overland Sheepskin Co. | 1973 | $16.0M | 125 | - |
| TUMI | 1975 | $547.7M | 1,577 | 103 |
| Rack Room Shoes | 1920 | $23.0M | 155 | 710 |
| Bluefly.com | 1998 | $82.1M | 59 | 1 |
| Family Video | 1978 | $940.0M | 7,000 | - |
| Finish Line | 1976 | $2.0B | 10,000 | 339 |
| Talbots | 1947 | $1.3B | 8,737 | 1 |
| Brookstone | 1965 | $117.7M | 3,000 | 7 |
| New York & Company | 1918 | $827.0M | 5,885 | - |
Wilsons Leather history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Wilsons Leather, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Wilsons Leather. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Wilsons Leather. 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 Wilsons Leather. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Wilsons Leather and its employees or that of Zippia.
Wilsons Leather may also be known as or be related to Wilsons Leather, Wilsons Leather Experts Inc and Wilsons The Leather Experts Inc.