Prange Way

Prange Way was an American chain of discount department stores. It was owned by the H. C. Prange Co. of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and at its peak, it operated stores in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota. The chain closed its stores by the early 1990s, shortly before H. C. Prange itself was assumed into the Younkers chain.

History

Prange Way began as a discount shop in the basement of the flagship H. C. Prange Co. building in 1911. The Prange Way chain later evolved into a discount department store, with several locations throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota.

Two of their first major discount stores called Prange Way Discount Stores opened between 1965-1966 in the cities of Appleton and Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, both anchoring new shopping center developments, the Marketplace Shopping Center, and Forest Shopping Center respectively. The latter would eventually be incorporated as a major anchor to Forest Mall upon that mall's opening in 1973.

Throughout the 1970s, the chain would expand slowly, eventually getting up to 20 locations. By the late 1970s, they attempted taking on a more 'upscale/discount' approach similar to Target Stores of today. However, in the faltering economy of that period into the early 1980s, this would backfire, and the chain's image with consumers soured.

Prange Way in 1979 would switch corporate identity, shortening the store name to just "PRANGE WAY" in large bold dark red stenciled letters. This would be used up to the chain's demise.

In 1985, and with 20 locations, Prange Way and rival Wisconsin-based ShopKo Stores Inc. were in a discounter tug-of-war, each chain always one-upping the other with lower prices and price-matching. Many advertising circulars and TV spots claimed 'We Won't Be Undersold!" and "You'll Never Overpay."

By the late 1980s, Prange Way exited Illinois and had long since left Michigan's Upper Peninsula to refocus efforts solely on its home state of Wisconsin. In 1989, they grew by 7 more units with the buyout of the Schultz's discount store chain, and entered Minnesota for the first time.

Upon the new decade, in 1990, parent company H.C.Prange filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In reorganization, the Prange Way chain was spun off to a new management team, and its headquarters relocated to De Pere, Wisconsin.

By the middle of the decade, the chain was seeing its fortunes brighten after a rocky start apart from its former parent company. Plans were slated to open smaller-sized stores in small towns, and large hypermarkets containing full discount and grocery areas, much similar to Wal-Mart's Supercenters of today. Also a chain-wide renovation plan was readied.

The chain was reported to have gone bankrupt in the autumn of 1995. Competition from other discounters was the reasoning given.