County Seat (store)
{{short description|American clothing retail}}
{{Infobox company
| name = County Seat
| logo =
| caption =
| type =
| traded_as =
| fate = Bankruptcy
| foundation = 1973
| founder =
| defunct = 1999
| location_city = Dallas, Texas
| location_country =
| location =
| locations = 740+
| area_served = United States
| key_people = Jack J. Crocker
Carson Pirie Scott
| industry = Retail
| products = Blue jeans, clothing
| owner =
| num_employees =
| parent =
| divisions =
| subsid =
}}
County Seat was an American clothing retailer founded in 1973. With more than 740 stores at its peak, the chain closed in 1999 following Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
History
Jack J. Crocker, then the CEO of SuperValu supermarkets, founded the chain in 1973 in Dallas, Texas.{{cite web|url=http://www.answers.com/topic/supervalu-inc|title=SuperValu, Inc.|work=Answers.com|accessdate=13 August 2011}} Appropriate for the pun in its name, County Seat specialized in blue jeans and other casual wear.
In 1977, the chain grew to 183 stores, and also began to sell sports clothing.{{cite journal|year=1978|title=Jeans chains wonder: Is there life after denim?|journal=Men's Wear|page=46|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MdFOAAAAYAAJ&q=%22county+seat+stores%22}}
In 1983, it was sold to the Carson Pirie Scott department store chain of Chicago, who bought County Seat for $71 million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=71000000|start_year=1983}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).{{cite journal|year=1984|title=No title|journal=Business Week|publisher=McGraw-Hill|volume=2|page=53|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=92cpAQAAIAAJ&q=%22county+seat+stores%22}} Two years later, Carson Pirie Scott acquired the 19-store Pants Corral store from Giant Food of Landover, Maryland, and converted these to County Seat.{{cite news | url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/73425403/ | title=Business briefs | work=The Pantagraph | date=June 14, 1985 | accessdate=May 9, 2022 | pages=A5}}
Carson Pirie Scott redesigned the chain's stores with matte black fixtures and re-focused the merchandise line to target high schoolers. The chain had 415 stores in 1989, at which point Bergner's acquired Carson Pirie Scott and sold County Seat to a new management team.{{cite web|url=http://www.answers.com/topic/county-seat-stores-inc|title=County Seat|work=Answers.com|accessdate=13 August 2011}}
Wet Seal offered to buy 508 stores of the County Seat chain in 1996, but was rejected.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/13/business/wet-seal-offers-to-buy-508-county-seat-stores.html|title = Wet Seal Offers to Buy 508 County Seat Stores|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 13 December 1996|last1 = News|first1 = Bloomberg}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/13/business/wet-seal-offers-to-buy-508-county-seat-stores.html|title=Wet Seal offers to buy 508 County Seat stores|date=13 December 1996|work=The New York Times|accessdate=13 August 2011}} The chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in late 1996 and began to close stores.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pTQxAAAAIBAJ&pg=5289,5842138&dq=county-seat+chapter-11&hl=en|title=County Seat files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy|date=19 October 1996|work=The Toledo Blade|accessdate=13 August 2011}} County Seat filed for bankruptcy again in 1999.{{cite news|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1999/01/23/county-seat-files-chapter-11/|title=County Seat Files Chapter 11|date=23 January 1999|work=The Orlando Sentinel|access-date=13 August 2011}}
References
{{Reflist}}
Category:Clothing retailers of the United States
Category:Companies based in Dallas
Category:Defunct companies based in Texas
Category:Defunct clothing retailers of the United States
Category:Retail companies established in 1973
Category:Retail companies disestablished in 1999
Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1996
Category:Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1999