Marshalls

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For the islands often known simply as the Marshalls, see Marshall Islands.

Marshalls, Inc.

Type	Department store
Founded	1956
Headquarters	Framingham, Massachusetts
Industry	Retail
Products	Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares.
Slogan	"Brand names for less. Every day."
Website	www.marshallsonline.com

Marshalls, Inc., is a chain of American department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 700 normal stores, as well as larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store, covering 42 states and Puerto Rico. Marshalls is the nation’s second largest off-price family apparel and home fashion retailer, behind its sister company, TJ Maxx. Since Summer 2006, actress Wendie Malick provides the voice over for Marshalls' commercials.

1 History
2 Marshalls in the Community
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] History

Marshalls traces its history to 1956, when Alfred Marshall gathered together a band of innovative entrepreneurs on the East Coast. Contemplating the dual postwar phenomena of a boom in the economy and growth in the suburbs, Marshall and associates came upon a way to meet it profitably. Together, they opened a self-service department store in Beverly, Massachusetts, offering apparel and homewares at alluringly low prices.

The concept proved extremely successful; ten years later, Marshalls had become the leading off-price retail chain in the nation. Given the volatility of the American economy in the 1970s, with recession affecting the spending habits of most shoppers, the off-price industry gathered speed. By buying up manufacturers' post-season, over-run, and close-out stock, Marshalls was able to offer fashionable, high-quality "designer" items at prices 20 to 60 percent less than those of the department stores.

The problem with the creative and successful plan, however, was that it inspired many imitators. As Marshalls' sales recipe became a favorite, many other retailers like TJX Companies. Marshall's main competitor throughout the 1990s was TJ Maxx, who always held the number two position in sales, but is now sister company to TJ Maxx. By 1993 Marshall's had expanded throughout 42 states including Hawaii, and had opened several downtown locations.

[edit] Marshalls in the Community

Although Marshalls is reputed to be committed to giving back to their community,TJX paid 10 million settlement in California to settle an employee class-action suit in 2002 that alleged Marshalls abused exempt/non-exempt classifications in order to avoid the payment of overtime or compensation time to employees in certain roles performing non-exempt job duties, as required by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Their benevolent philosophy of public service may not extend to their own workforce.

They have developed national and local partnerships with U.S. charitable organizations. All of the donations and fund-raising efforts from Marshalls are connected to helping children, families, and their communities with these programs: