Bradlees

Infobox Defunct Company
company_name = Bradlees
company_
fate = Bankruptcy
successor =
foundation = 1958 New London, CT
defunct = 2001
location = Braintree, Massachusetts (headquarters)
industry = Retail
key_people =
products = Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics and housewares.
homepage = [http://web.archive.org/web/19980423205718/http://www.bradlees.com/ Bradlees.com]

Bradlees was a chain of discount department stores which operated primarily in the Northeastern United States. The chain went bankrupt in 2000 and all of its stores were closed by March 2001.

History

Beginnings

The first store was opened in New London, Connecticut in 1958. It was named after Bradley International Airport (BDL) in Windsor Locks, CT where the store planning meetings were held. The company was acquired by grocery chain Stop & Shop in 1961, which owned the chain until 1992.

Bradlees was also the site of many former J.M. Fields and Two Guys department store locations. Two Guys and J.M. Fields (stores had a discount department store and a grocery store together) were both the Wal-Mart Supercenter of their day. The Two Guys chain reigned extremely popular throughout New York and New Jersey in the 1960s and 1970s.

In the New York/New Jersey area, nearly all shopping centers that had Bradlees stores would also have a Stop & Shop in the same plaza or, in some cases, connected with the store as a supercenter, but this ended when Stop & Shop pulled out of the New York market during the 1980s (not to return until 2000 when Royal Ahold bought the company and rebranded its Edwards chain as Stop & Shop).

During the 1970s and early 1980s (and again in the late 1990s), Bradlees was known for its TV and print ads featuring the character "Mrs. B." (played by actress Cynthia Harris), depicted as the chain's buyer, who constantly searched for bargains to pass onto her customers.

Bankruptcy and closure

Bradlees had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 1995 and closed down some underperforming stores in 1996. Some of those locations were turned into Ames. The company successfully exited from bankruptcy in February 1999 after making a decent profit through 1998 and early 1999. On December 26, 2000, the company announced that they once again filed for bankruptcy protection, with this just coming days before Montgomery Ward filed for Chapter 11. This time, executives of Bradlees said they were liquidating the entire company. Executives of Bradlees said it filed for bankruptcy protection because of a general economic downturn, including rising interest rates and higher gas and heating oil prices that have left customers with less disposable income. The executives also said new competition, unseasonable weather in the first half of 2000, and the tightening of trade credit contributed to its inability to operate profitably.

In an interview just before the chain closed, analyst Eric Beder of Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. said "They really needed a perfect economy to get this thing moved", referring to the attempt at recovery after the restructuring of the company. "But the recent consumer spending slow down did not facilitate that environment", he said.

In early January 2001, the chain started closing all their stores and the final store closed in March 2001. At the time of its liquidation, the company had 10,000 employees and 105 stores in 7 states. Many of its former store locations were purchased by Wal-Mart, although other locations became The Home Depot, Target,Kohl's or Stop & Shop. Stop & Shop owned much of its real estate even after it spun off the company. Stop & Shop was acquired by Ahold in 1996, and some former Bradlees were sold to other Ahold divisions, such as Giant.

When the Nasdaq stock market suspended trading in Bradlees stock, it closed at just under 22 cents.

Locations

Connecticut
*Bridgeport - 156 Boston Avenue
*Bristol - 603 Farmington Avenue, now Stop & Shop
*Danbury - 69 New Town Road, now Wal-Mart
*East Hartford - Charter Oak Mall - now Aaron Rents and Burlington Coat Factory
*Enfield - Enfield Commons - opened as Woolco, later Channel Home Center; now Marshalls and Barnes & Noble
*Enfield - became Gold's Gym
*Fairfield - 766 Villa Avenue
*Guilford - 900 Boston Post Road - now a Wal-Mart
*Hamden - 2300 Dixwell Avenue - now a Wal-Mart
*Hartford - 1250 Park Street
*Manchester - Manchester Parkade - vacant
*Middletown - 400 East Main Street - now Marshalls and Bob's Stores
*New Haven - Was next to a Toys R Us then was torn down and replaced with Carmax - Frontage Road
*New Milford - Route 7 and Dobbs Road - now Wal-Mart
*New London - New London Mall - opened as Two Guys; store and mall torn down
*Norwalk - 680 Connecticut Avenue - Now Wal-Mart
*Orange - Bull Hill Lane - Now Kohl's
*Shelton - 862 Bridgeport Avenue
*Simsbury - Farmington Valley Mall - Bob's Stores
*Stratford - 955 Ferry Boulevard - Now BJs
*Torrington - 77 S. Main St - Now TJ Maxx
*Waterbury - 410 Reidville Drive - Now Raymour & Flanigan
*Waterbury - 300 Chase Avenue - Now Target

Delaware
*Wilmington - Concord Mall - this store was built in 1965 as an Almart, a discounter based in New York City. The bulk of the mall was not added until 1969, when it was added to the north of the Almart. The store became a Jefferson Ward, which was sold to Bradlees in 1988. The store was a Bradlees for only months before it closed. It was demolished, albeit attached to the mall, and a Sears was built in its place in 1992.
*Wilmington - 4437 Kirkwood Highway. Same story as the above until the Bradlees closed. It became a Clover and is now Kohl's.

Maine
*Westbrook - 25 Main Street - now Kohl's
*Lewiston - The Promenade Mall - now a movie theater
*Topsham - Topsham Fair Mall - now Village Candles
*Windham - Windham Mall - now Big Lots and a movie theater

Maryland
*Baltimore (Dundalk) - Former Memco store; now Giant Food
*Baltimore (Catonsville) - Former Memco store; now Babies "R" Us
*Camp Springs - former Memco store; now a Church
*Columbia - became Kmart, now Wal-Mart
*Laurel - became Kmart
*Rockville - now Federal Plaza shopping center

Massachusetts
*Boston - 500 Geneva Avenue
*Brockton - 715 Crescent Street
*Brockton - Westgate Mall - demolished for Filene's, now Macy's
*Burlington - 150 Lexington Street - now Kohl's
*Chelmsford - Chelmsford Mall - opened as Kings; now Kohl's
*Chelsea - 1100 Revere Beach Parkway
*Chicopee - Fairfield Mall - opened as Forbes & Wallace; mall and store torn down
*Danvers - Route 114 - now Burlington Coat Factory
*Dedham - Dedham Mall - mall and store torn down
*Dennisport - 260 Upper County Road
*Dorchester - 725 Morrissey Boulevard - now National Wholesale Liquidators
*Fall River - New Harbour Mall - now Wal-Mart
*Falmouth - Falmouth Mall - now Wal-Mart
*Foxboro - 30 Commercial Street, Foxboro Plaza
*Framingham - Shoppers World
*Hingham - 100 Derby Street
*Hyannis - Route 132 and Independence Way
*Kingston - Independence Mall - now Target
*Leominster - Searstown Mall (now Mall at Whitney Field) - demolished for Filene's - now Macy's
*Medford - Meadow Glen Mall - now Kohl's
*Milford - Medway Street, Route 109 [Formerly W.T. Grant/Grant City]
*North Andover - Route 114, 350 Winthrop Avenue
*Orleans - Cranberry Cove Plaza
*Pittsfield - Merrill Road
*Quincy - Presidents Plaza
*Roslindale - 950 American Legion Highway
*Shrewsbury-White City Shopping Center
*Somerset - Route 6 and Brayton Point Road
*Somerville - 180 Somerville Avenuen - now Target
*Springfield - Springfield Mall - now Stop & Shop
*Taunton:*Taunton Mall (now Mill River Place) - later Stuart's, now Save-a-Lot:*Silver City Galleria - now Dick's Sporting Goods
*Walpole - Walpole Mall - now Kohl's
*Watertown - Watertown Mall - now Target
*West Springfield - 935 Riverdale Street, Route 5
*Woburn - 425 Washington Street - now Kohl's
*Worcester:*130 Gold Star Boulevard:*The Fair Shopping Plaza [Formerly the Fair discount store]

New Hampshire
*Concord - Fort Eddy Road - ; now Lowe's
*Keene - 350 Winchester Street; nowWal-Mart
*Manchester - 777 South Willow Street -demolished now Stop & Shop
*Nashua:*Nashua Mall - opened as Woolco; now Kohl's:*308 Main Street - now Shaw's Supermarket
*Newington - Spaulding Turnpike and Gosling Road - Newington Mall (now The Crossing at Fox Run) - now Kohl's
*Plaistow - Route 125, 30 Plaistow Road - now Kohl's
*Salem - Rockingham Mall - now Kohl's

New Jersey
*Audubon - Black Horse Pike Shopping Center - originally E.J. Korvette then Woolco. Property (BHPSC) was redeveloped with Wal-Mart 2004-2006.
*Bordentown - 622 Route 206 and Martin Avenue - former Two Guys, Jefferson Ward
*Burlington Township - Liberty Square Center (Walmart) on Rte. 541 - originally J. M. Field's, then Jefferson Ward, now Acme Markets
*Bridgewater - 300 Commons Way
*Cedar Knolls - Ridgedale and Hanover Avenue (Morris County Mall or Cedar Knolls Mall)same as below
*Hanover - Ridgedale and Hanover Avenue Morris County Mall - now Wal-Mart
*Cherry Hill - Route 38 and Cuthbert Boulevard - Two Guys, then Jefferson Ward - now Wal-Mart
*Clark - 45 Central Avenue, now Target
*Clifton - 14 Main Avenue, now Kohl's
*Colonia - 1555 St. George Avenue
*East Brunswick - 333 Route 18 and Tice's Lane- now Kohls
*Hackensack - 450 Hackensack Avenue - now a Home Depot
*Hamilton - Suburban Plaza - was Kings, now vacant
*Hazlet - Route 36 and Poole Avenue - still vacant
*Jersey City - Route 440, Communipaw Avenue
*Manalapan - Route 9 and Craig Road - Now Bed Bath & Beyond
*Middletown - Route 35 and Twin Brooks Road, now Kohl's
*North Brunswick- North Village Shopping Center, Rt. 1 South. Closed around the same time as nearby Caldor. Later discount book store, now Barnes and Noble
*Paramus- Route 17, closed in mid-1990s
*Parsippany - Arlington Plaza , now Home Depot
*Phillipsburg - Phillipsburg Mall - store never opened; site became Kmart, now Kohl's
*Pleasantville - 6718 Black Horse Turnpike, Route 1 - now Forman Mills
*Ramsey - Route 17 and Ramsey Square, now Kohl's
*Saddlebrook - 189 Route 46, now Wal-Mart
*South Plainfield - 686 Oak Tree Avenue
*Stratford - 222 South White Horse Pike, Route 30 and Laurel Avenue, now a medical complex
*Toms River - Routes 37 (west-bound side) and US-9, now used as a storage facility for Boscov's
*Totowa - Route 46 and Riverview Drive. Bradlees had two stores in the same shopping center. The first, which was part of a former large Two Guys store, was closed in 1994 after a smaller store was built at the end of the strip, demolished, and replaced by a Home Depot. The smaller store closed with the rest of the Bradlees in 2001, and is now shared by Bed Bath & Beyond and Buy Buy Baby.
*Turnersville - Route 42 and Black Horse Pike, now The Dump furniture store
*Union - 1721 Morris Avenue and Route 22 -Now Lowes
*Ventnor - Ventnor Shopping Center - currently vacant - a former J.M. Fields
*Vineland - Cumberland Mall - now Bed Bath & Beyond, Marshalls and Michaels
*Wayne - Route 23 and Ratzer Road - Was part of a Bradlees-Stop& Shop Supercenter, now Kohl's
*Woodbridge - Routes 9 and 440
*Woodbury Heights - Route 45 and Parkville Station Road; built as Two Guys, became Jefferson Ward, then Bradlees. Now a Staples occupies part of the building.

New York
*Elmira - Arnot Mall - now Burlington Coat Factory
*Johnson City - Oakdale Mall - opened 1980; now Burlington Coat Factory
*Latham- New Loudon Center (now Price Chopper Plaza) - now Bon Ton
*Middletown - Wallkill Plaza
*New City - Calvary Road and North Main Street
*New Hartford - Sangertown Square - now Target
*Schenectady - Mohawk Mall - store and mall demolished and rebuilt
*Staten Island - West Shore Plaza - opened as Caldor, then Bradlees, then a Flea Market, now Burlington Coat Factory
*Union Square - 40 East 14th Street,was originally Ohrbachs, JW Mays, now varied stores
*Utica - Riverside Mall - now subdivided into smaller stores
*Yonkers - 2500 Central Park Avenue
*New Hyde Park, NY - originally Two Guys, now Stop&ShopPennsylvania
*Bensalem - originally Jefferson Ward, then Bradlees, closed and demolished for Kohls in 1998
*Bethlehem - Bethlehem Square Shopping Center
*Broomall - Springfield Road and West Chester Pike - a former Two Guys and later Jefferson Ward, the store became a Giant in 2002.
*Glenolden - 50 N. MacDade Boulevard - a former Jefferson Ward. It became a Wal-Mart in 2004, even though Wal-Mart had already opened in many former Bradlees in 2002.
*Horsham - Village Mall - originally Woolco, became Bradlees 1982; later Wal-Mart, now vacant
*Langhorne - 1501 Lincoln Highway - opened as Two Guys, then Jefferson Ward, then Bradlees, now The Dump.
*Norristown - 53 West Germantown Pike - originally Woolco, became Bradlees 1982; later Wal-Mart
*Philadelphia
** Red Lion Plaza - previously Jefferson Ward, then Bradlees, then Ross Dress For Less and Sports Authority, now vacant
** Snyder Plaza - now Target
*Pottstown - Coventry Mall - originally Jefferson Ward; now Ross Dress For Less and Dick's Sporting Goods
*Whitehall - Whitehall Square Shopping Center

External links

* [http://web.archive.org/web/19980423205718/http://www.bradlees.com/ First Bradlees Website--April 1998]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20000823165021/www.bradlees.com/html/locations.html Bradlees Locations before Bankruptcy]
* [http://www.deadmalls.com/stores/bradlees/ Story on the closing of all 105 Bradlees Stores]

References

* [http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Bradlees-Discount-Department-Store-Company-Company-History.html History of Bradlees]