Clover (store)
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Clover was a discount chain of 26 stores operated by
Strawbridge & Clothier Strawbridge's, formerly Strawbridge & Clothier, was a department store in the northeastern United States, with stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The Center City Philadelphia flagship store was, in its day, a gracious urban empori ...
in
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
,
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, and
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
. Clover stores averaged , but the first five stores it opened ran about to .


History

The first Clover store opened in 1971 in
Cherry Hill, New Jersey Cherry Hill is a Township (New Jersey), township within Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As a suburb of Philadelphia, the township is part of the South Jersey and Delaware Valley regions. Cherry Hill ...
. The management of
Strawbridge & Clothier Strawbridge's, formerly Strawbridge & Clothier, was a department store in the northeastern United States, with stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The Center City Philadelphia flagship store was, in its day, a gracious urban empori ...
based their Clover store format on
Dayton Hudson Target Corporation is an American retail corporation that operates a chain of discount department stores and hypermarkets, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the seventh-largest retailer in the United States, and a component of the ...
's
Target Target may refer to: Warfare and shooting * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artille ...
store chain and Federated's
Gold Circle Gold Circle was a discount department store chain based in Ohio. Founded in 1967, it was a division of Federated Department Stores with 76 stores when the chain was sold and dismantled in 1988. History Covering mostly New York, Ohio, Kentucky a ...
Discount store. The name was taken from S&C's periodic sale days, ''Clover Days''. The similarities to Target were evident throughout the life of Clover. The earliest locations included a
food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for Nutrient, nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or Fungus, fungal origin and contains essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, protein (nutrient), proteins, vitamins, ...
store (Clovermarket) adjacent to the main store. S&C did not operate the food stores for long and they were converted to
Acme Acme is Ancient Greek (ἀκμή; English transliteration: ''akmē'') for "the peak", "zenith" or "prime". It may refer to: Arts, entertainment and games * ''Acme'' (album), an album by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion * Acme and Septimius, a fic ...
or P.L.U.S. (an A&P no-frills format). In 1978, Strawbridge & Clothier partnered with the
Rouse Company The Rouse Company was a publicly traded shopping mall and community developer from 1956 until 2004, when General Growth Properties (GGP) purchased the company. It was founded by Hunter Moss and James W. Rouse in 1939. Beginnings: Moss-Rouse Com ...
developing two mini-malls next to their Cinnaminson and Center Square stores, that were called Clover Square. These had a mixture of national and regional chains and independent stores. The malls opened with a food court in one corner of the square-shaped corridor. These malls later became Outlet Square. Now, they are both supermarkets. In 1995,
May Department Stores The May Department Stores Company was an American holding company of department stores founded in 1877 by David May. It operated several regional department stores throughout the United States, which were managed as distinct business divisions ...
purchased Strawbridge's.
Kimco Realty Corporation Kimco Realty Corporation is a Jericho, New York-based real estate investment trust that invests in shopping centers. Description Kimco Realty was the first public, vertically integrated REIT designed to be internally managed and advised, prov ...
paid $35.5 million for 23 Clover stores, leaving Strawbridge with three Clover sites.
Kohl's Kohl's Corporation (Kohl's is stylized in all caps) is an American department store retail chain store, chain. currently has 1,165 locations, operating stores in every U.S. state except Hawaii. The company was founded by Polish immigrant Maxwe ...
subsequently purchased 5 Clover stores. Kimco liquidated the Clover stores and sold the buildings. Due to unfavorable lease agreements, the Clover stores located in
Shore Mall A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...
in
Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey Egg Harbor Township is a township in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 47,842, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 4,519 (+10.4%) from the 201 ...
and Penrose Plaza in
Southwest Philadelphia Southwest Philadelphia (formerly Kingsessing Township) is a section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The section can be described as extending from the western side of the Schuylkill River to the city line, with the SEPTA. The no ...
were unable to be divested along with the rest of the chain. Gordon Brothers Partners, Inc. of
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
was retained to liquidate the 23 stores that were sold and to operate the remaining three stores through December 31, 1996. Strawbridge's parent,
May Department Stores The May Department Stores Company was an American holding company of department stores founded in 1877 by David May. It operated several regional department stores throughout the United States, which were managed as distinct business divisions ...
, was sold to
Federated Department Stores Macy's, Inc. (previously Federated Department Stores, Inc.) is an American holding company of department stores. Upon its establishment in 1929, Federated held ownership of the regional department store chains Abraham & Straus, Lazarus (departm ...
in 2006 and the Strawbridge's name was rebranded in favor of
Macy's Macy's is an American department store chain founded in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. The first store was located in Manhattan on Sixth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets, south of the present-day flagship store at Herald Square on West 34 ...
. Clover was far ahead of its time with innovation, having one of the first automated push button customer service call systems in the early 1970s. Built by a long time Clover employee named Thomas Atkinson, customers in need of help pressed a button in the area they required assistance, triggering an alarm at the Customer Service Desk. The customer service associate then issued a store-wide page, summoning an associate to the location. If, by the third alarm, the system hadn't been reset by a responding associate, the service desk associate paged the store manager-on-duty, thereby guaranteeing the customer was assisted. Clover used full PLU lookup for both sale and regular merchandise and hand scanners before any other non-food retailer in the nation. Additionally, just before they closed, they began using a store management, receiving and distribution system that is the model for all big box chains in America today. When Clover closed many of its stores were purchased by
Kohl's Kohl's Corporation (Kohl's is stylized in all caps) is an American department store retail chain store, chain. currently has 1,165 locations, operating stores in every U.S. state except Hawaii. The company was founded by Polish immigrant Maxwe ...
, with its first major expansion to the east coast.


References

{{Reflist Defunct discount stores based in New Jersey American companies established in 1971 Retail companies established in 1971 Retail companies disestablished in 1995