Pamida
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pamida | |
 |
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| Type | retail store |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1963 |
| Headquarters | Omaha, Nebraska |
| Industry | Retail |
| Products | Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, electronics, market, housewares, pharmacy. |
| Owner | Sun Capital Partners, Inc. homepage = www.pamida.com/ |
Pamida is a chain of department stores with more than 200 locations in 16 Midwestern and West Central states. Pamida stores are generally located in small communities, ranging from 3,000 to 8,000 in population.
[edit] History
Pamida had its beginnings in a service merchandise business begun in 1948 by Jim Witherspoon and Lee Wegener. Witherspoon and Wegner opened their first retail outlet in Knoxville, Iowa in 1963 as part of the Gibson Products Company. A second store soon followed in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and the stores quickly expanded throughout the midwest. By the late 1970s, the stores were no longer associated with Gibson Products and began to be called "Pamida". Witherspoon and Wegener sold Pamida in 1981 to employees, and in 1986 a unit of Citicorp acquired a controlling interest in the company. In 1999, ShopKo Stores, Inc. purchased Pamida and began operating the company as a separate division. Several former Fisher's Big Wheel stores were also acquired in the late 1990s. In 2000, ShopKo Stores, Inc. acquired P.M. Place Stores (Place's) and converted the stores into Pamida stores. In 2006, ShopKo Stores, Inc. was purchased by an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, Inc., a leading private investment firm. Pamida was then separated from the ShopKo umbrella, and reestablished its corporate headquarters in Omaha, Neb. Pamida will open 10 new stores in 2007. Plans are for the company to continue adding 10 new stores annually throughout the coming years.
[edit] Trivia
- The Pamida name represents the first two letters of the first names of Witherspoon's three sons, Pat, Mike, and David.
- Pamida's mission is to be the leading retailer in smaller communities.
