Burlington Coat Factory: Quality Clothes?

Burlington, formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory, is an American off-price department store retailer with over 1,000 stores across 40 states and Puerto Rico. The company was started in 1972 by the Milstein family, who initially sold coats and jackets in wholesale. Over the years, they expanded their product range to include clothing, accessories, linens, gift items, baby products, and shoes.

Today, Burlington continues to offer a wide range of products, including clothing, handbags, home goods, and more. They are known for their low prices, often selling name-brand items for a third of the price found at high-end department stores.

While the company has faced some controversies, including accusations of mislabelling real fur products as faux fur, they have also been recognised for their charitable partnerships and efforts to support various causes.

Burlington Coat Factory sells clothes, accessories, and shoes for men, women, and children

Burlington Coat Factory, now known as Burlington, is an American national off-price department store retailer with over 1,000 stores in 40 states and Puerto Rico. The company was started in 1972 by the Milstein family, who initially sold coats and jackets wholesale. However, they soon began adding other clothing items and accessories to their inventory to reduce their dependence on the seasonal coat business. Today, Burlington sells a wide range of products, including clothing, accessories, handbags, shoes, home goods, and even pet supplies. The company offers items for men, women, and children, with prices significantly lower than those of high-end department stores.

The company's name is derived from its hometown of Burlington, New Jersey, where the first store was opened in a former factory outlet. The Milsteins purchased the building for $675,050, with most of the $75,000 down payment coming from Henrietta Milstein's savings from her job as a librarian. The store proved successful, and just a year later, in 1975, the family opened a second location in Copiague on Long Island. Over the years, Burlington continued to expand, and by 1983, the company had 31 locations and went public under the name Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation.

In addition to its extensive selection of merchandise, Burlington is known for its commitment to charitable causes. The company has partnered with various organizations, including the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night campaign, and has raised millions of dollars through annual fundraisers. Burlington also launched the Warm Coats and Warm Hearts Drive to collect coat donations for those in need, collecting and distributing over 1.2 million coats since the program's inception.

With its wide range of products, focus on value, and dedication to giving back, Burlington has established itself as a prominent retailer in the United States, providing customers with a one-stop shop for their clothing, accessory, and footwear needs.

The company has over 600 stores across the US and Puerto Rico

Burlington, formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory, is an off-price department store retailer with a large physical presence across the US and Puerto Rico. The company operates over 1,000 stores in 40 states and Puerto Rico, with its headquarters in Burlington Township, New Jersey.

The company's physical store count has grown significantly since its founding in 1972, when it opened its first store in Burlington, New Jersey. By 1983, when the company went public, it had 31 locations. As of October 2013, the company operated 503 stores in 44 states and Puerto Rico under different brand names, including Burlington Coat Factory, Cohoes Fashions, Baby Depot, and MJM Designer Shoes.

The company's large physical footprint in the US and Puerto Rico allows it to reach a wide customer base and offer its products and discounts to a diverse market. With over 600 stores strategically located across different regions, Burlington has established a strong physical presence in the market.

The company's stores offer a range of discounted brand-name products, including shoes and clothing for men, women, and children, as well as baby furniture and accessories. The large number of stores enables the company to provide a convenient shopping experience to its customers, ensuring that its products are easily accessible to a large number of people.

In addition to its physical stores, Burlington also offers online shopping through its website, further extending its reach and convenience for customers who prefer to shop from home. The combination of a strong physical presence and an online shopping platform contributes to the company's overall success and ability to serve a diverse customer base.

The company was started in 1972 by the Milstein family

Burlington, formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory, is an American national off-price department store retailer. The company was started in 1972 by the Milstein family as a family-run business, with one store in Burlington, New Jersey.

Monroe Milstein and his father, Abe, had been running a successful wholesale and retail outerwear business together since 1946. In 1972, Monroe's wife, Henrietta Milstein, convinced him to purchase a former factory outlet in Burlington, New Jersey, for $675,050. The down payment of $75,000 was mostly covered by Henrietta's savings from her job as a librarian. Initially, the Milsteins sold coats and jackets wholesale, but they soon began adding other clothing items and accessories to reduce their dependence on the seasonal coat business. They eventually expanded into linens, gift items, baby products, and shoes.

The company opened a second location in 1975 in Copiague on Long Island. Monroe Milstein asked his son Lazer, who was living in Israel, to return and act as the legal owner of the new location. Lazer agreed on the condition that the store would be closed on Saturdays to observe the Sabbath. At that time, businesses faced legal action for operating on Sundays, with an exception for religions observing a different Sabbath day.

By 1982, the company exceeded $130 million in annual sales. In 1983, with 31 locations, the company went public and changed its name to Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corporation. The company operated 31 stores at the time of its IPO and used the capital raised to double its store count to 68 by 1985. By the end of the 1980s, the company operated 134 stores in 37 states, with net sales exceeding $600 million.

Burlington sells items for up to two-thirds less than high-end department stores

Burlington, formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory, is an American national off-price department store retailer. It offers a broad range of first-quality, branded clothing and outerwear for the family, with prices substantially below department store retail prices on similar merchandise.

Burlington's business model is predicated on selling items at significantly discounted prices, with its items costing up to two-thirds less than high-end department stores. This pricing strategy has been a key driver of its success, attracting millions of value-oriented shoppers, particularly during economic downturns such as the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company's ability to offer such low prices stems from its focus on selling designer items that may have minor quirks, such as unusual colours, overstocked sizes, or less popular designs. By acquiring these items at a discount, Burlington can pass the savings on to its customers. Additionally, Burlington's agile buying and merchandising strategy allows it to quickly adapt to changing trends and consumer demands, ensuring that it always offers relevant and desirable products.

The company's pricing strategy has been so successful that it has expanded to over 1,000 stores in 40 states and Puerto Rico, and it is now the third-largest off-price retailer after TJX Companies and Ross Stores. Its ability to provide high-quality items at low prices has made it a popular destination for bargain hunters and has contributed to its strong financial performance, with sales surpassing $7.3 billion in 2019.

The company has been accused of mislabelling real fur products as faux fur

Burlington, formerly known as Burlington Coat Factory, is an American national off-price department store retailer. The company has been accused of mislabelling real fur products as faux fur.

In 2007, an investigation by the Humane Society of the United States found that 24 out of 25 samples of coats labelled as faux fur were actually made from the fur of raccoon dogs, a type of dog that resembles a raccoon. The investigation revealed that major retailers, including Burlington Coat Factory, were selling these mislabelled products. In response, Burlington Coat Factory pulled the false advertisements and recalled the affected coats.

The issue of mislabelling fur products is not unique to Burlington Coat Factory. Other major retailers, such as Lord and Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, JC Penny, and even celebrity clothing lines have been found to sell mislabelled fur products. This has led to calls for stricter legislation and better quality control to ensure that consumers are not misled and to prevent animal cruelty.

In defence of the retailers, some have claimed that they were deceived by the factories where the coats were produced. However, this incident highlights the need for rigorous buying and quality control procedures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. It is important for retailers to be vigilant and ensure that their products are accurately labelled to protect both consumers and animals.

As a result of the investigation, Burlington Coat Factory has taken steps to address the issue and prevent future occurrences. The company has also been involved in charitable partnerships, such as the Warm Coats and Warm Hearts Drive, where they collect coat donations for those in need.

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