- David's Bridal
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David's Bridal 
Type Private Industry Retailing Founded 1950 Headquarters Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, United States Products Clothing, wedding dresses, prom gowns, and other formal wear Parent Leonard Green & Partners Website www.davidsbridal.com David's Bridal is a clothier in the United States that specializes in wedding dresses, prom gowns, and other formal wear. It is the largest American bridal-store chain.[1]
David's Bridal currently operates more than 300 stores in 45 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. It was acquired by May Department Stores in 2000, which was, in turn, bought by Federated Department Stores (the parent company of department store giant Macy's) in 2005. On November 17, 2006, David's Bridal was purchased by Leonard Green & Partners, on the same day that Federated also divested itself of After Hours Formalwear.
History
In 1950, David’s Bridal first started out a small bridal boutique in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The soon to be well known bridal chain all started as a brainchild of David Reisberg, hence the name David’s Bridal. In 1972, Floridian Phillip Youtie purchased the salon with optimistic ideas. Between that time and 1988, Youtie successfully grew his investment from a single store to 18 boutiques. Many of these boutiques were leased bridal stores that were in department stores under the David’s Bridal name. Steven Earlbaum, a late childhood friend of Youtie, eventually joined forces with Youtie to help bring David’s Bridal to all fifty states. Earlbaum, having preexisting experience from creating the Philadelphia-based store chain, Mr. Good Buy, was able to give knowledge to Youtie. Earlbaum and Youtie eventually incorporated the company, structuring it for the national market. A warehouse was built in Hallendale, Florida, where David’s Bridal currently retains their stock. The corporate headquarters are now based in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.[1]
Stores at this time stocked only sample gowns in a standard size. Youtie and Earlbaum changed the store model in the late 1980s with this warehouse off Interstate 95 where they stocked designer gowns, discontinued dress and manufacturer over runs at below retail prices. This chain of bridal stores was like none of its kind. David’s Bridal was all about making a no-frill shopping environment for those who need an expensive wedding dress for a fraction of the price. Stores were not really comfortable, but more plain and warehouse-like. Although there was little to no comfort in the stores, brides-to-be could expect a bargain. Years later, as the business grew even larger and larger, small stores were starting to go out of business while more David’s Bridal stores were being put into business. Between 1994 and 1995, 12 stores were added to the bridal corporation. In 1999, DABR went public with over 104 million dollars in assets and selling eight million shares. In 2000, the May Department Stores Company bought David’s Bridal from Youtie and Earlbaum for $436 million.[1] By this time, David’s Bridal was the largest retailer of bridal gowns and wedding related merchandise. On November 17, 2006, David's Bridal was purchased by Leonard Green & Partners. David’s Bridal is now the only nationwide competitor of bridal stores.[1] One in four Americans brides are dressed by David’s Bridal.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e Mead, Rebecca (2008). One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding. Penguin. ISBN 9780143113843. http://books.google.com/books?id=aoEwT8Z6oXYC&dq=davids+bridal&source=gbs_navlinks_s.
External links
Healthcare Aspen Dental · IMS HealthRetail The Container Store · David's Bridal · Del Taco · J.Crew · Jo-Ann Stores · Petco · Sports Authority · TourneauLeonard Green's Portfolio · Official Website Categories:- Clothing retailers of the United States
- Companies established in 1950
- Private equity portfolio companies
- Companies based in Pennsylvania
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