Hills (store)

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Hills is a discount department store chain based in Canton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1957 in Youngstown, Ohio, and was in existence until 1999 when it was acquired by Ames. Most stores are located in Ohio, Indiana, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, although the company does encourage other markets. It pushes further south and has several stores in Virginia, Tennessee, and Alabama and west to Michigan.

Video Hills (store)

History

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In the late 1950s, the stores in the Hills were complete department stores (compared to discount department stores where the chain was later known).

Herbert H. Goldberger, founder of the Hills, sold the chain to SCOA Industries, from Columbus, Ohio, in 1964. He remained president of the Hills until 1981, when his son succeeded him. Goldberger was SCOA's vice president and director when, in 1985, he led the purchase of Hills management.

Hills went public in 1987, becoming the nation's eighth largest discount retailer. In November 1990, Goldberger's son resigned, according to a Hills statement, and was replaced by Jack Brouillard. Goldberger's resignation from his family business surprised some observers. He has been president and CEO of the chain since 1981, and took over as chairman of the board when his father died in 1987. Stephen Goldberger also introduced several other changes, including credit card receipts and UPC scanning launches.

In 1989, Hills bought 35 Gold Circle locations, Worthington, Ohio. In the New York and Ohio region, many of these locations were previously Twin Fair, Inc., stores before 1982.

Hills has its own private label where various items are marketed. It's called "American Spirit".

Bankruptcy and recovery

Hill filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 1991, and the number of stores declined, from 214 to 151. Hills' financial woes began in 1985 with leveraged purchases from the US Shoe Corporation burdened with debt. Leveraged leveraged is worth $ 640 million. Debt increased again in 1987 when Hills became a public company. This situation was further aggravated in 1989 when the Hills acquired 33 former Gold Circle stores. The hard economy followed by the recession in 1990-1991 gave a devastating blow chain.

Michael Bozic was taken as President and CEO of Hills to revive the company. He has spent 27 years with Sears and became the head of the Sears Merchandising Group. The shops were overhauled, the opening of a distribution center scheduled to begin in 1991, and the introduction of a new store prototype in 1991. Hills has a large toy section that accounts for more than 10% of sales throughout the year. Hills achieved an important recovery from bankruptcy in 1993 as Hills Store Company.

Takeover and acquisition by Ames

CEO Michael Bozic resigned, along with most of the senior executives, July 5, 1995, ending a tumultuous two-year siege to control regional discounters by Dickstein Partners, the largest shareholder in the Hills. Bozic was replaced by Jack Smailes, a former VP company executive, GMM.

Dickstein resigned post 8 February 1996, replaced as chairman by Chaim Edelstein, former chairman of A & amp; S Department Stores. Dickstein's resignation as chairman was followed by Jack Smailes, president and CEO, who was replaced by Gregory Raven, formerly chief executive officer of Revco. The discounted 164-unit discount then announces it will seek to obtain other regional price discounts in an effort to become a larger and more powerful operator.

It was a tough two years for Greg Raven and Hills. A completely new system is institutionalized. "We take every system we have and throw it away," Raven said. The new focus is on trading systems, new financial systems, human resources, payroll, debt and finally a new warehouse management system. Reset the hardline part has been completed, including lopping off 4Ã, ft. From the end of the gondola walk to create an electric hallway with a presentation of a "good value" palette.

In December 1998, Ames acquired the Hills. At that time the Hills operated 155 stores, covering 12 states, and employed over 20,000 employees. Headquarters are in Canton, Massachusetts. With the Hills acquisition, Ames grew from 301 to 456 stores and became the nation's fourth largest discount chain behind Walmart, Kmart, and Target. Almost all Hills stores were named Ames in late 1999, even in markets where Ames and Hills overlapped. With the exception of the only Hills Department Store located in Shawsville, Virginia. Much of the overlap is in the Pittsburgh area, where Ames acquired the G. C. Murphy-based chain on the outskirts of Pittsburgh McKeesport in 1985 and is a market adjacent to the original Hillsstown market. However, Ames will have its own financial difficulties due to the Hills purchase, and will be out of business entirely by the end of 2002.

Maps Hills (store)

Legacy

While some of the former Hills locations will eventually be occupied by other businesses such as Target, Big Lots, and Planet Fitness, many of them have remained empty since the Ames liquidation.

The July 14, 2015 episode of Pittsburgh Dad , which has the theme Back to the Future , shows the titular character going back to November 5, 1989, just to shop in the Hills and stop to get food in their food court. Based on episodes as well as several episodes of Father wearing Hills theme clothes, a Pittsburgh-based candle company released the "Pittsburgh Dad's Hills Snack Bar" candle that should mimic the smell of popular snack bars from the Hills.

Slogan

• "According to legend, the little people know, Hills is the place to play!"
• "Hill is a place for children."
• "When you really need a low price, the Hills have it every day."
• "The Hills are Great for gifts."
• "The wishes of Christmas come true in the Hills."
• "Hill is a toy place."
• "Anti-inflation department store."
• "We're a different kind of department store - you have to go to Hills! (See us!" "
• "Hills Department Shopping - Famous for Everyday Low Prices"
• "The hills have hit - LP or Cassette" (jingle commercial TV)
• "Hill for Mother, Hill for Father, Family Hills!"
• "Hill has layaway. Skip it." (Whispered by schoolchildren on billboard ads)
• "Save everything, save it every day in the Hills."

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Subsidiaries

Hills has several subsidiaries that handle multiple operations: Hills Department Store Company, HDS Transport, CRH International, Canton Advertising, Corporate Vision, and Hills Distributing Company.

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References

Source of the article : Wikipedia