Information AboutDayton's |
Minneapolis -based Dayton's was among the nation's leading Department Store s for nearly a century. Founded in 1902 by George Draper Dayton as Goodfellows (and later renamed Dayton Dry Goods), Dayton stores became synonymous with quality merchandise, superior service, fashion leadership, and community involvement. In 1969, the Detroit -based J.L. Hudson Company merged with the Dayton Corporation to form the '''Dayton-Hudson Corporation''', adding 21 Michigan-based stores to the total. In 1990, the department store division of Dayton-Hudson (now Target Corporation) acquired Chicago-based Marshall Field's . Prior to changing its name to Marshall Field's in 2001, Dayton's stores numbered 19, serving communities throughout the upper Midwest. Dayton's was the parent of Target , opening the first Target in 1962 as the discount store version of Dayton's. Target quickly grew to become the majority of the company's business. In 2000, Dayton-Hudson was renamed Target Corporation. In 2004, Target finally divested their department store division to focus on discount retailing. May Company purchased the stores prior to its own acquisition by Federated Department Stores , which rebranded all the Dayton's stores as Macy's. TIMELINE
FORMER DAYTON'S LOCATIONS INTERESTING FOOTNOTES The stores received significant media exposure during the first season of '' The Mary Tyler Moore Show '' (1970-77), as the opening credits featured the title character standing in front of the original Dayton's; the shot of her tossing her beret in the air was shot in front of the original Donaldson's department store in downtown Minneapolis (as referenced by the "Open Tonight" neon sign in the window of the store; this can be confirmed frame by frame). This moment was ranked by '' Entertainment Weekly '' as the second greatest moment in television. A bronze statue was erected on the corner in 2002. Dayton's was the first Department Store to introduce the concept of a "mall" to the American shopper, opening Southdale , the nation's first enclosed shopping center, in October, 1956. Target was introduced by Dayton's in 1962 as its discount store. Target remains and has grown into a large corporation that dominates upper-middle class discount retail. Little known is that in Dayton's heyday, it competed on par with, or perhaps even above, stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. After changing its name to Marshall Field's, the respected retailer has been marketed as a fashion-forward, exclusive shopping experience for upper- to middle-income families in the Midwest. THE MACY'S FACTOR The corporation's merger with Federated Department Stores will see a close consolidation of retail brands and markets, and will reduce competition in many Midwestern areas, as well as other markets nationwide that the May Company and Macy's in which there is an overlap. REFERENCES |
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