The Buckle, Inc. is an American fashion

retailer Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is the sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesal ...

selling

clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...

footwear Footwear refers to garments worn on the feet, which typically serve the purpose of protective clothing, protection against adversities of the environment such as wear from rough ground; stability on slippery ground; and temperature. *Shoes and si ...

, and accessories for men, women, and children. The company operates 451 stores in 42 states throughout the United States of America, under the names Buckle and The Buckle. Buckle markets brand name and private label apparel, including denim, other casual bottoms, tops and shirts, dresses and rompers, sportswear and athleisure, outerwear, footwear, swimwear, fragrances, sunglasses, bags and purses, wallets, and other accessories.

History

Buckle began as a men's clothing store established in 1948 in Kearney,

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. The first store was founded by David Hirschfeld and operated under the name ''Mills Clothing''. His son, Dan Hirschfeld, took over the business in 1965. In 1967, a second store was purchased and operated under the name Brass Buckle. The company began selling more casual men's clothing and by the early 1970s, Brass Buckle had developed into a

denim Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more Warp (weaving), warp threads. This twill weave produces a diagonal ribbing that distinguishes it from cotton duck. Denim, as it is recognized today, was f ...

-based store offering a wide selection of denim and shirts. In 1977, the company introduced women's clothing and the first mall-based location was opened. In 1991, Brass Buckle changed its name to The Buckle, Inc. and began development of private clothing label 'bkle', known today as BKE. The following year, the company went public on the

NASDAQ The Nasdaq Stock Market (; National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the U.S. by volume, and ranked second on the list ...

, where it was traded as BKLE. The company reached operations of 100 stores in 18 states. * 1997 – The Buckle moved to the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...

, where it now trades under the symbol, BKE. In 1998, The Buckle reached operations of 200 stores in 29 states. * 1999 – The first eCommerce website was launched. * 2009 – The Buckle reached operation of 400 stores in 41 states. * 2010 – The company completed construction of a new 240,000 square feet, state-of-the-art distribution center. * 2011 – The company reached a milestone of selling five million pairs of jeans in one year. * 2017 – The Buckle operated over 450 stores in 44 states.

Merchandise

Buckle markets denim jeans, casual bottoms, fashion tops and shirts, dresses and rompers, active wear, outerwear, footwear, swimwear, fragrances, sunglasses, bags and purses, wallets, and other accessories. Buckle's own

private label A private label, also called a private brand or private-label brand, is a brand owned by a company, offered by that company alongside and competing with brands from other businesses. A private-label brand is almost always offered exclusively by th ...

brands make up 35% of sales.

References

External links

Official corporate websiteBuckle
on

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Buckle (Clothing Retailer) Companies based in Nebraska Clothing retailers of the United States Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange Clothing brands of the United States 2010s fashion 2000s fashion 1990s fashion 1980s fashion American companies established in 1948 Retail companies established in 1948 1948 establishments in Nebraska Kearney, Nebraska 1992 initial public offerings