department store
A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic appe ...
chain with approximately 282 stores in 29 states and headquartered in
Little Rock, Arkansas
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
. Currently, the largest number of stores are located in
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
with 57 and
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
with 42. The company also has stores in 27 more states; however, it is absent from the Northeast (Washington, D.C., and northward), most of the Upper Midwest (
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...
,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...
), the Northwest, and most of California, aside from three stores in smaller cities.
Operations during 20th century
Early history
Dillard's is the outgrowth of a department store founded in 1938 by
William T. Dillard
William Thomas Dillard (September 2, 1914 – February 8, 2002) was an American businessman. He was the founder of the Dillard's Department Stores chain.
Early life
Dillard was born on September 2, 1914, to Thomas J. Dillard and Hattie Mae Gib ...
; its corporate headquarters remain located at the eastern edge of
Little Rock
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
's Riverdale area and many of its executives and directors are members of the Dillard family. The family retains control of the company through its ownership of Class B Common Stock; the Class A common stock is publicly traded on the
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its liste ...
.
Dillard began his first store in
Mineral Springs, Arkansas
Mineral Springs is a city in Howard County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,208 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Mineral Springs is located in southern Howard County at (33.876358, -93.918599). Arkansas Highway 27 runs through the ce ...
, in what was locally known as "the tater house". It was located across the street from the community's Methodist church. The building that housed the original store was torn down in the early 2000s. Dillard sold the original five and dime store in
Nashville, Arkansas
Nashville is a city in Howard County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 4,627 at the 2010 census. The estimated population in 2018 was 4,425. The city is the county seat of Howard County.
Nashville is situated at the base of the Ouac ...
, to develop a department store in Texarkana, Arkansas, initially as the minority partner in Wooten & Dillard. In 1956, Dillard led an investment group that acquired the Mayer & Schmidt store in
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the largest city and county seat of Smith County. It is also the largest city in Northeast Texas. With a 2020 census population of 105,995, Tyler was the 33rd most populous city in Texas and 2 ...
. This store eventually took on the name "Dillard's Mayer & Schmidt" until 1974, when it was replaced with a mall-based location south of downtown Tyler.
In 1960, Dillard acquired and turned around the failing Brown-Duncan store in
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region wit ...
. The success of this turnaround was followed in late 1963 by acquiring the Joseph Pfeifer store in
Little Rock, Arkansas
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
, and in early 1964 acquiring the other main store in Little Rock, Gus Blass Co. Dillard used this as an opportunity to relocate his headquarters to Little Rock. In 1969, Dillard and his investors took Dillard Department Stores, Inc., public on the
American Stock Exchange
NYSE American, formerly known as the American Stock Exchange (AMEX), and more recently as NYSE MKT, is an American stock exchange situated in New York City. AMEX was previously a mutual organization, owned by its members. Until 1953, it was know ...
.
1970–1989
Thereafter, the chain expanded rapidly as an anchor in
suburban
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separa ...
shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually Anchor tenant, anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant pedestrian zone, a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that ...
s, and took advantage of market conditions to acquire smaller chains as well as its ability to turn around locations that other companies could not operate profitably. Expansion of the Dillard's chain increased rapidly during the 1970s, mainly through expanding into new malls being built in smaller cities in Texas. In 1971 five Texas units were acquired from Fedway, a division of
Federated Department Stores
Macy's, Inc. (originally Federated Department Stores, Inc.) is an American conglomerate holding company. Upon its establishment, Federated held ownership of the regional department store chains Abraham & Straus, Lazarus, Filene's, and Shillito ...
(the stores were rebadged as Dillard's in 1972). In 1974, five Leonard's stores were acquired in
Fort Worth
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...
, Texas, as well as a commitment to open a new downtown Fort Worth store at the Tandy Center (site of the original Leonard's). Also in 1974, the former Brown-Dunkin, Blass, Pfeifer and Mayer & Schmidt stores were fully renamed Dillard's.
The 1980s brought the purchase of many local chains. In 1982, Dillard's leased three units of the defunct Lowenstein's chain in
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...
from
Associated Dry Goods Corp.
Associated Dry Goods Corporation (ADG) was a chain of department stores that merged with May Department Stores in 1986. It was founded in 1916 as an association of independent stores called American Dry Goods, based in New York City.
Histor ...
, while in fall 1984 two department store divisions were purchased from
Dayton-Hudson Corporation
Target Corporation (doing business as Target and stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American big box department store chain headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the seventh largest retailer in the United States, and a compon ...
:
Diamond's
Diamond's was a department store chain headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.
Originally named The Boston Store, it was founded in 1897 by Nathan and Issac Diamond, Jewish immigrants who had earlier begun a dry-goods mercantile in El Paso, it was rena ...
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
and
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
. Twelve stores in Kansas and Missouri belonging to R. H. Macy & Co.'s Midwest Division, which was later dissolved in 2006, were acquired in early 1986, while the three-unit Hemphill-Wells company in West Texas was purchased in the summer. The stores at Sunset Mall in San Angelo and
South Plains Mall
South Plains Mall is a shopping mall located in Lubbock, Texas. It is located at the northwest corner of Loop 289 and Slide Road. The mall was opened on July 26, 1972 with an initial square footage of at a cost of $25 million.Lubbock were both converted, while the third in downtown Lubbock was closed.
In 1987, Dillard's purchased 26 of
Joske's
Joske's, founded by German immigrant Julius Joske in 1867, was a department store chain originally based in San Antonio, Texas, San Antonio, Texas. In December 1928, Hahn Department Stores acquired the company along with the Titche-Goettinger depa ...
27 stores in Texas and Arizona as well as the four-unit
Cain-Sloan
Cain-Sloan Co. Inc. was a department store chain based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1903, merged with Allied Stores in 1955, and with Dillard's in 1987. It was a target of the 1960 Nashville sit-ins.
History
The ...
chain in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...
, from
Allied Stores Corp.
Allied Stores was a department store chain in the United States. It was founded in the 1930s as part of a general consolidation in the retail sector by B. E. Puckett. See also Associated Dry Goods. It was the successor to Hahn's Department Stores ...
This deal gave Dillard's two major anchor locations at several malls in Texas and Arizona with many of the second locations being converted to a separate, expanded home and men's stores, a format that Dillard's utilized greatly, both to grow its store size cost-effectively and to prevent competitors from gaining valuable real estate. Additionally, the Joske's acquisition gave Dillard's entry into the Houston market. That same year, Dillard's co-founded CDI Contractors, a construction company that would help build, remodel, and repair most of its locations, with William "Bill" Clark and Braggs Electric Construction Company.
Dillard's in 1988 acquired the former Selber Bros. clothing department store chain, founded in 1907 in Shreveport, Louisiana, which also had a few locations in Texas.
In 1988, Dillard's purchased the three-unit Miller & Paine chain in Lincoln,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
, as well as more significantly, a half-interest and operational control of The Higbee Co., based in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...
, with partner Edward J. DeBartolo Corp. D. H. Holmes Co., Ltd., of New Orleans, was purchased in 1989, bringing 18 units primarily in Louisiana, as well two former
Diamond's
Diamond's was a department store chain headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.
Originally named The Boston Store, it was founded in 1897 by Nathan and Issac Diamond, Jewish immigrants who had earlier begun a dry-goods mercantile in El Paso, it was rena ...
units in
Tucson, Arizona
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...
and
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
was acquired from BATUS in 1990. This was followed by
Maison Blanche
Maison Blanche (''White House'' in French) was a department store in New Orleans, Louisiana, and later also a chain of department stores. It was founded in 1897 by Isidore Newman, an immigrant from Germany.
Maison Blanche is perhaps best remem ...
selling eight stores on Florida's Gulf Coast to them in 1991. The locations were at
Tyrone Square Mall
Tyrone Square (also referred to as Tyrone Square Mall) is an enclosed shopping mall in St. Petersburg, Florida. Opened in 1972, it features Dick's Sporting Goods, Dillard's, Five Below, J. C. Penney, Macy's, and PetSmart as its anchor stores.
H ...
WestShore Plaza
WestShore Plaza is one of two enclosed shopping malls located in the Westshore business district of Tampa, Florida, developed by Albert L. Manley of Boston, MA. WestShore Plaza was opened in 1967 and was touted as Tampa's first shopping center ...
(both 1974),
Countryside Mall
Countryside Mall (formerly Westfield Countryside) is a shopping mall in Clearwater, Florida. Situated near the coastline on the Gulf Coast, it serves over 9 million customers every year, and is home to five anchor stores, a 12-screen Cobb Thea ...
(1976),
Southgate Plaza
Southgate or South Gate may refer to:
Places Australia
*Southgate, Sylvania
*Southgate Arts and Leisure Precinct, an area within Southbank, Victoria
Canada
*Southgate, Ontario, a township in Grey County
*Southgate, Middlesex County, Ontario
Edm ...
(1978),
Edison Mall
Edison Mall is an enclosed, super-regional shopping mall in Fort Myers, Florida. The mall opened in 1965, and has been expanded three times since. Edison Mall is owned by Washington Prime Group, which took over the mall in 2014. The mall is name ...
,
Coastland Center
Coastland Center is a shopping mall located in Naples, Florida. Opened in 1976, it features Macy's, JCPenney, and Dillard's as its anchors. It hosts a food court and many other specialty stores. The food court is the main attraction. The mall its ...
(both 1985), and Lakeland Square Mall (1988). In 1992, the remaining interest in the Higbee's stores was acquired, as well as five Ohio stores from Horne's (as part of a legal settlement, Dillard's having canceled a 1988 deal to acquire the chain). Also in 1992, three stores from the Hess's chain liquidation (five other former Hess's were acquired in 1994), two E. M. Scarbrough's locations in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, two
Thalhimer's
Thalhimers was a department store in the Southern United States. Based in Richmond, Virginia, the venerable chain at its peak operated dozens of stores in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and one store in Memphis, Tennessee. Thalhimer ...
in South Carolina and Tennessee, a former Lord & Taylor store at
Oak Court Mall
Oak Court Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Opened in 1988, the mall features Macy's and Dillard's as its anchor stores.
History
The mall began as a freestanding, 3-story Goldsmith's, a Memphis-b ...
in
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...
and three Belk-Lindsey stores in Florida (Gulf View, DeSoto, and Eastlake). Except for two Belk of Columbia stores that were acquired in 1995, acquisitions were eschewed for a couple of years until early 1997 with the purchase of 15 stores—10
Mervyn's
Mervyn's was an American middle-scale department store chain based in Hayward, California, and founded by Mervin G. Morris (1920–2021). It carried national brands of clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, ...
Broward Mall
Broward Mall (previously known as Westfield Broward) is a shopping mall in Plantation, Florida.
History
The mall was opened in August 1978, with the name Broward Mall. Original anchors were Burdines, Sears, and Jordan Marsh (the latter made its ...
(1978), and Melbourne Square (1983)--and the remaining 2 at Lakeland Square Mall (1986) and Pembroke Lakes Mall (1992). The Proffitt's conversion gave them 2 that were also taken over from Rices Nachmans in 1985 at
Coliseum Mall
The Colosseum ( ; it, Colosseo ) is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheatre ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheatre in the world ...
(1973) and Pembroke Mall (1981), and 3 newly built stores
Patrick Henry Mall
Patrick Henry Mall is a shopping mall in Newport News, Virginia. It is located on Interstate 64 Westbound and Jefferson Ave (Virginia State Route 143) at exit 255A. The mall is anchored by Dillard's, Dick's Sporting Goods, J. C. Penney and Macy's. ...
,
Greenbrier Mall
Greenbrier Mall is a nearly regional mall in Chesapeake, Virginia, United States in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. The mall has a hillside terrain, with entries on both upper and lower levels. It serves communities on the east coast in t ...
Macy's
Macy's (originally R. H. Macy & Co.) is an American chain of high-end department stores founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. It became a division of the Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores in 1994, through which it is affiliated wi ...
stores in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...
Baybrook Mall
Baybrook Mall is a shopping mall located near the Clear Lake City area in Houston, Texas; It has a Friendswood mailing address, but it is in the Houston city limits. - Maps for comparisonMap of the city of Houston8 x 11 version The mall is loc ...
(1985) were absorbed while the location at The Galleria (1986) was not affected.
The deal-making culminated with the purchase of Mercantile Stores Co., Inc., in 1998. The purchase of this Fairfield, Ohio-based department store company brought several chains, including
Bacon's
Bacon's was a chain of department stores based in Louisville, Kentucky.
History
Jeremiah Bacon opened a store called Bacon's Dry Goods in 1845 on Market Street near Hancock Street. In 1876 he moved into a structure four times larger than the ...
,
Castner Knott
Castner Knott was a Nashville, Tennessee-based regional department store chain which operated stores in Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The chain was in business for a century from 1898 to 1998, in its later years as a division of Mercantile ...
Gayfers
Gayfer's was a regional department store chain in the southern United States. Based in Mobile, Alabama, the chain of stores operated from 1879 until 1998 when it was taken over by Dillard's.
History
C.J. Gayfer migrated to Mobile, Alabama, from ...
, Glass Block,
Hennessy's
Hennessy's was an American department store, founded by Daniel Hennessy of Butte, Montana in 1898. Stores opened throughout Montana. In the 1970s, the company was acquired by Mercantile Stores and the headquarters moved to Billings, Montana. ...
Joslins
Joslins Department Store began as J. Joslins Dry Goods Store, founded by John Jay Joslin in 1873; It was a direct competitor to The Denver Dry Goods Company which commenced operations in 1888. The downtown Joslins building in Denver, Colorado, ...
Maison Blanche
Maison Blanche (''White House'' in French) was a department store in New Orleans, Louisiana, and later also a chain of department stores. It was founded in 1897 by Isidore Newman, an immigrant from Germany.
Maison Blanche is perhaps best remem ...
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...
. Overall this deal enabled Dillard's to enhance its position in several markets in the South, Midwest and Mountain states.
Also in 1998, the chain entered
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, opening its first store in a former Weinstock's at
Weberstown Mall
Weberstown Mall is one of two shopping malls in Stockton, California. It is next to Sherwood Mall. Opened in 1966, it is anchored by J. C. Penney, Sears, Dillard's and Barnes & Noble.
Also features Pink, Old Navy, Forever 21, H&M, and more. ...
in
Stockton, California
Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquired Rancho Campo de los Franceses. The city is named after R ...
Arbor Place Mall
Arbor Place is a shopping mall in Douglasville, Georgia, United States. Opened in 1999, the mall was originally to be anchored by Dillard's, Parisian, Sears, and Upton's. The Upton's chain went out of business prior to the opening of the mal ...
near
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...
.
Operations during 21st century
After the acquisition of Mercantile, Dillard's ceased expanding through acquisitions, although eight locations of the defunct
Montgomery Ward
Montgomery Ward is the name of two successive U.S. retail corporations. The original Montgomery Ward & Co. was a world-pioneering mail-order business and later also a leading department store chain that operated between 1872 and 2001. The curr ...
in the Midwest, and four locations from ZCMI in Utah and Idaho were acquired in 2001, when stores opened at
Chandler Fashion Center
Chandler Fashion Center is a regional shopping center located in the city of Chandler, Arizona, and is the second largest mall in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The mall is owned by Macerich and was developed by Westcor a former subsidiary of Mac ...
The Mall at Wellington Green
The Mall at Wellington Green is a two level super-regional shopping mall in Wellington, Florida. The mall features Dillard's, JCPenney, Macy's, City Furniture, Ashley Furniture, CMX Theaters and over 170 stores and eateries. As one of the last ...
in Wellington, Florida,
International Plaza and Bay Street
International Plaza and Bay Street is the dominant shopping mall and dining destination on the west coast of Florida, located adjacent to the Tampa International Airport.
International Plaza is a traditional enclosed shopping mall anchored by ...
in Tampa, Florida, and
The Shops at Willow Bend
The Shops at Willow Bend, sometimes referred to as Willow Bend Mall, is a shopping mall located in Plano, Texas, with over 125 stores and three anchor stores. The mall is located at the intersection of West Park Boulevard ( Farm to Market Road 5 ...
in Plano, Texas.
In 2004, Dillard's store credit card operation, operated as Dillard's National Bank, was sold to
GE Money Bank
GE Capital is the financial services division of General Electric.
The company currently only runs one division, GE Energy Financial Services. It had provided additional services in the past; however, those units were sold between 2013 and 2018 ...
. Customers can now be issued Dillard's/American Express cards as well the traditional Dillard's store charge. These cards can be used at any store that accepts the
American Express
American Express Company (Amex) is an American multinational corporation, multinational corporation specialized in payment card industry, payment card services headquartered at 200 Vesey Street in the Battery Park City neighborhood of Lower Man ...
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which th ...
.
In 2008, Dillard's closed their travel agency, Dillard's Travel, alongside all in-store locations due to economic conditions. Dillard's Travel previously operated in 43 of the 318 stores. Also in 2008, stores opened at both
The Shops at Wiregrass
The Shops at Wiregrass is an open-air lifestyle center in Wesley Chapel, Pasco County, Florida. In addition to free parking lots, valet parking, and a parking structure, there are streetside parking spaces at meters along its central street, Pas ...
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
. Additionally, Dillard's announced that it had completed a transaction to acquire the remaining fifty percent (50%) interest in CDI Contractors, LLC and CDI Contractors, Inc., which it did not already own.
In late 2018, Dillard's announced a location would open in fall 2019 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, at the site of the former Younkers in
Empire Mall
The Empire Mall is a shopping mall in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. The anchor stores are Dillard's, Macy's, Dick's Sporting Goods, and JCPenney. The mall is owned by Simon Property Group.
History
Originally developed in 1974-75 by ...
. By August 2020, it had not yet opened. In September 2019, Dillard's remained headquartered in Arkansas, with 260 "full-line" stores and 29 clearance centers. It had locations mostly in the South and Southwest of the United States, in 29 states overall. The company was also a significant owner of property in the United States, and it owned 44.3 million square feet of the 49 million square feet it used for its business and retail operations.
In March 2020, Dillard's attracted note in the press for keeping many of its 290 stores in the United States open during the coronavirus pandemic, with Dillard's stating "we are open with limited hours where not ordered to close by state or local government mandate." In April 2020, Dillard's closed around 200 out of its 285 stores in response to Covid-19. Its online store remained open. In May 2020, Dillard's had reopened all but two of its locations in Tampa Bay, according to its website at the time. That week, management and Dillard's CEO, William Dillard II, informed its annual meeting that the company's first quarter had been the worst in its history, due to the coronavirus, saying Dillard's business had become "total chaos" by the end of April as a result. At the time, Dillard's had 257 department stores, and 28 clearance stores, and had reopened stores in 21 states or more.
In August 2021, the company released its second quarter report. It did not release "store comps relative to pandemic-dominated 2020; comparable store retail sales compared to 2019 rose 14%." After an $8.6 million net loss in August 2020, the company noted that it instead had made a net income in August 2021 of $185.7 million.
Store formats
The chain continues to expand and has recently added stores in non-traditional mall shopping centers. Currently, the largest Dillard's store at is located at Scottsdale Fashion Square, an enclosed super-regional mall in
Scottsdale, Arizona
, settlement_type = City
, named_for = Winfield Scott
, image_skyline =
, image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg
, image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg
, nic ...
. Within the Dallas/Fort Worth area, the chain has two flagship stores with a store at the
Northpark Center
NorthPark Center, sometimes referred to as NorthPark Mall, is an upscale, enclosed shopping mall in Dallas, Texas (United States). It is at the intersection of Loop 12
(Northwest Highway) and US 75 (North Central Expressway). Opened in 1965, it ...
in
Dallas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
and a store at the
North East Mall
North East Mall (previously as Northeast Mall) is an American super-regional shopping mall located in Hurst, Texas, United States, a suburb in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. It is located below highways SH 121, SH 183, and is east of Interst ...
in Hurst. Its flagship store in the East Coast region, at , is located in the
MacArthur Center
MacArthur Center is a shopping mall in Norfolk, Virginia, in the center of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. Built by the Taubman Company, the mall is owned by Starwood Capital Group since October 2014.
The mall currently features a large Dilla ...
in downtown
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia B ...
. It announced construction of a new "flagship" store in Lubbock, TX on Nov 15th, 2022. This store will be 220,000 sq ft. The home store for the chain is in
Little Rock
( The "Little Rock")
, government_type = Council-manager
, leader_title = Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_party = D
, leader_title2 = Council
, leader_name2 ...
; the divided store is located in the trend-conscious
Park Plaza Mall
Park Plaza Mall is an enclosed shopping mall located in the Midtown neighborhood of Little Rock, Arkansas. Originally opened in 1960 as Park Plaza Shopping Center, an open-air shopping center, the mall is home to two Dillard's flagship stores ...
, one of the city's oldest continuously operating shopping centers in its midtown section.
Clearance Centers
As of April 2020, Dillard's operated 28 clearance stores in the United States. Dillard's Clearance Centers occupy 26 mall spaces throughout multiple states for the clearance stock of clothing from prior seasons. They are usually located within lower-income areas as the no longer high priced items are not as covetable for the general clientele Dillard's procures. The 265 regular department stores ship the clearance clothing at already 60% off to these Clearance Centers where the clothing is then marked down further to liquidate the heaps of clothing and shoes. The Clearance Centers rival that of a Marshalls or TJ Maxx with unknown sizes or quantities of a specific item. However, all the clothing at Dillard's Clearance Centers are direct from the normal Dillard's Department Stores close to and surrounding the one outlet. The goods that are sent to these stores are including, but not limited to: overstocked, offseason, didn't sell well, or damaged. This is an easy way to buy all of the brand-specific items at a cheaper, more economical price.
The hours may vary a little bit by store or holiday; however, the generic hours of a Clearance Center are Tuesday through Saturday from 12 pm to 7 pm and Sunday from 12 pm to 6 pm. On Mondays, the Clearance Centers are closed for the restocking of the Clearance items.
On a week-to-week basis, each Dillard's Clearance Center receives further markdowns by each department, i. e. Ladies’ Shirts and Men's Pants could be an extra 50% off the already reduced 60% off merchandise making the total be around 80% off the original market value.