Boscov's

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Boscov's Department Store, LLC.
Boscov's
Company type
IndustryRetail
Founded1914 (111 years ago) (1914) in Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
FounderSolomon Boscov
Headquarters
4630 Perkiomen Avenue Exeter Township, Pennsylvania
,
United States
Number of locations
51 (2025)
Area served
Northeastern United States
Key people
Jim Boscov, Chairman & CEO
Albert Boscov (former Chairman & CEO)
ProductsClothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, candy, household goods, toys/games, decor, small appliances
RevenueUS$ 1.5 billion (2021)
OwnerBoscov family
Number of employees
8,300 (2021)
Websitewww.boscovs.com

Boscov's Inc. is a family-owned department store with over fifty locations in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Connecticut, West Virginia, and Rhode Island. Twenty-six of the stores are located in Pennsylvania.[1]

Corporate headquarters are located in Exeter Township, Pennsylvania, near Reading. The company chairman is Jim Boscov, who took over after his uncle Albert Boscov retired.[2]

History

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Solomon "Sol" Boscov was of Jewish descent. He emigrated from Russia to Reading, Pennsylvania, in 1911.[3] He had $1.37 in cash (equal to $46.23 today) on arrival in the United States.[3] He worked as a traveling salesman with an initial $8 worth of merchandise. Because he spoke Yiddish, he was able to converse with people in Berks County who spoke Pennsylvania Dutch.[3] Boscov's fortunes changed in 1914 when he opened the first Boscov's store at 9th and Pike streets in Reading.[4][5] A Pennsylvania Historical Marker commemorating Solomon Boscov stands at the site of the original store.[6]

Boscov's began expanding throughout suburban Reading in the 1960s, with Boscov's West in Sinking Spring opening in 1962 and Boscov's North at the Reading Fairgrounds in Muhlenberg Township in 1965.[citation needed] Boscov's East along 9th Street in Reading was destroyed by fire in February of 1967 and was replaced by a new Boscov's East in Exeter Township nine months later.[citation needed] Boscov's West was destroyed by fire in November of 1967 and reopened twelve months later.[7]

By the end of 1968, Boscov's had five stores, 2,200 workers, and annual sales exceeding $50 million.[8] Solomon Boscov retired and was succeeded by his son Albert "Albie" Boscov as the head of the company in 1960.[8][9] The first Boscov's outside of Berks County opened at the Lebanon Valley Mall in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, in 1972.[7] Boscov's bought Fowler, Dick and Walker, the Boston Store in 1980. One of Wilkes-Barre's last remaining downtown department stores, it was Boscov's first multi-story store.[10][11]

Boscov's opened its first location outside Pennsylvania at the Dover Mall in Dover, Delaware, in 1982.[7] Boscov's entered the Philadelphia market directly in the late 1980s by opening Ports of the World stores[12] which were re-branded as Boscov's in the 1990s.

In 1983, Boscov's leased the dormant Fowler's building in downtown Binghamton, New York; this store, with five retail floors, is the flagship of the Boscov's chain.[13]

In 2002, Boscov's opened at the Berkshire Mall in Wyomissing, replacing a Strawbridge's store.[7] As a result, Boscov's West in Sinking Spring closed.[14]

In 2006, Albert Boscov retired and his nephew Kenneth Lakin became chairman and chief executive. Lakin led an aggressive expansion, opening ten new stores by 2008. Boscov's acquired these locations from Federated Department Stores following its merger with The May Department Stores Company.[7] The new stores opened just prior to the 2008 economic downturn and Boscov's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[15] Albert Boscov came out of retirement and regained control of the company. As part of the bankruptcy, the new stores were shuttered, although two were later reopened.[16] The company emerged from bankruptcy in September of 2009.[17]

Number of Boscov's locations by state
State No.
of locations
Connecticut 2
Delaware 3
Maryland 4
New Jersey 8
New York 4
Ohio 2
Pennsylvania 26
Rhode Island 1
West Virginia 1

Albert Boscov died from pancreatic cancer in 2017 at the age of 87.[18] The chain is now headed by his nephew, Jim Boscov.[2]

Boscov's continuing success makes it regarded as somewhat of an "outlier" because many department store retailers have been pulling back on brick-and-mortar formats. Boscov's saw record sales of $1.2 billion in 2017. Since 2009, the chain continues to expand and plans to continue to open one store per year while investing in existing stores by renovating them.[2]

Boscov's moved into the Providence Place mall in downtown Providence, Rhode Island in 2019.[19] In 2021, Boscov's opened at Eastwood Mall in Niles, Ohio[20] a year later than planned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Boscov's 50th store, and the first to be located in West Virginia, opened in Bridgeport in 2023.[21] In 2025, Boscov’s announced their 51st store will open in the autumn of 2025 at The Mall at Greece Ridge in Rochester.

Civic affairs and charitable giving

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During the 1970s, Boscov's launched its "Friends Helping Friends" program, an annual fundraising event which raises $1 million per year for non-profit organizations.[22][23]

Jazz festival

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Boscov's sponsors the annual "Boscov's Berks Jazz Fest" which draws an estimated 40,000 people to Reading each year.[24][25]

Thanksgiving Day Parade

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When Gimbels went out of business in 1986, WPVI-TV and Boscov's took over the sponsorship of the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade. Boscov's remained as co-sponsor for over twenty years.

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The Boscov's in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania was used to represent the fictional department store Illustra in the 1987 film Mannequin.

Boscov's is mentioned in the Season 3 episode Kimmy Steps on a Crack! of the Netflix comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.[26]

Boscov's is also mentioned in NBC's The Office, Season 5, Episode 25, “Casual Friday”.

References

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  1. ^ "About Boscov's Department Stores". Boscov's. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Allabaugh, Denise (March 25, 2018). "Boscov's doing retail right". The Scranton Times-Tribune. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c Charles Schuyler Castner. Berksiana. 1976, p.321.
  4. ^ Berksiana. Charles Schuyler Castner. 1976. Page 319
  5. ^ Kellar, Travis (December 2014). "Boscov's transformed from general merchandise store to department cha". Times Leader. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  6. ^ Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. "PHMC Historical Markers Search" (Searchable database). Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d e "Boscov's history, highlights". Reading Eagle. September 18, 2009. Retrieved October 15, 2019.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ a b Berksiana. Charles Schuyler Castner. 1976. Page 323
  9. ^ "About Boscov's Department Stores". Boscovs.com. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  10. ^ Allabugh, Denise (December 3, 2017). "Grandchildren of retail legend Boscov publish book in his memory". Standard~Speaker. Hazleton, Pennsylvania. Retrieved January 15, 2018. he purchased Fowler, Dick and Walker, the Boston Store ... in 1980
  11. ^ "Our History". The F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  12. ^ Milford, Maureen (July 12, 1987). "Boscov's Evades Trends". The Morning News from Wilmington, Delaware. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  13. ^ "20 Oct 1983, 5 - Press and Sun-Bulletin at Newspapers.com".
  14. ^ Negley, Erin (March 27, 2009). "Plans submitted for former Boscov's West site in Sinking Spring". Reading Eagle. Retrieved October 15, 2019.[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ Burns, Patrick (August 5, 2008). "Retailer Boscov's goes bankrupt". LNP Media Group. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  16. ^ "Boscov's will reopen at White Marsh Mall". May 17, 2012.
  17. ^ Panaritis, Maria (September 18, 2009). "Boscov's emerges from bankruptcy". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  18. ^ "Boscov's chairman Albert Boscov dies at 87". The Baltimore Sun. Associated Press. February 11, 2017. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  19. ^ List, Madeleine (October 9, 2018). "Nordstrom to close store at Providence Place; Boscov's set to enter space". The Providence Journal. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  20. ^ "Boscov's Inc. department store coming to Eastwood Mall". WKBN.com. January 6, 2020. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  21. ^ "Boscov’s officially opens in Bridgeport", Metro News, October 7, 2023
  22. ^ Mallett, Karin. "Boscov’s holds annual ‘Friends Helping Friends’ fundraiser." Allentown, Pennsylvania: WFMZ-TV, October 19, 2022.
  23. ^ "Boscov’s sets goal of $1M for charity with Friends Helping Friends event Wednesday." Martins Ferry, Ohio: The Times Leader, October 18, 2022.
  24. ^ Long, Jeremy (April 22, 2018). "The 28th Annual Boscov's Berks Jazz Fest drew 35,000 to 40,000 people to the area". Reading Eagle. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  25. ^ Vasil, Jim (April 4, 2018). "2018 Berks Jazz Fest taking shape ahead of opening night". WFMZ-TV.
  26. ^ "'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt': Follow Our Recaps as You Binge Season 3". Entertainment Weekly.
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