Lands' End

Lands' End began as a mail-order yachting supply company in 1963 in Chicago.[4] It was founded by Gary Comer,[8][9] along with his partners, 1963 Pan American Games gold medalist sailors Richard Stearns and Robert Halperin, and two of Stearns' employees.[10][11] As the business became successful, it expanded into general clothing and home furnishings, and moved to Dodgeville, Wisconsin, in 1978.[9] The company is named from its sailboat heritage, after Land's End, but the misplaced apostrophe in the company name was a typographical error that Comer could not afford to change, as promotional materials had already been printed.[8]

Lands' End's catalog business expanded in the 1980s, as mail-order retail grew nationwide. The company expanded its computer systems and customer service operations. In 1986, it became a publicly traded company.[4] The 1990s saw continued growth, as the company began international expansion and became an early embracer of e-commerce, establishing a website and "live chat" customer service. Lands' End was named among the 100 Best Companies To Work For In America by FORTUNE Magazine.[12]

In the late 1980s, Lands' End was the jersey supplier of the United States national rugby union team.[13]

In 2002, Sears acquired the company for $2 billion in cash.[6] In July 2023 the company's valuation by market capitalization was $0.3 billion.[14]

In addition to operating mail order and online business and Lands' End Inlet stores (a reverse pun used for its outlet stores), Sears offered a Lands' End clothing line in a large number of its retail stores.[15] In 2012, the company formed an "online partnership" with the UK's Debenhams and House of Fraser department stores;[16] in 2016 it began selling on Amazon.[17]

In November 2009, Lands' End launched a new line called Lands' End Canvas, which offered a more fashion-oriented selection of casual clothing for men and women. It was discontinued in 2013.[18][19] The line was reintroduced in 2016 and promptly cancelled in 2017 by an incoming new CEO.[20][21]

On December 6, 2013, Sears Holding Corp. announced that it would spin off Lands' End catalog business as a separate company by distributing stock to the retailer's stockholders.[22] Lands' End stock began trading on the NASDAQ on April 7, 2014.[7] Jerome Griffith became CEO in March 2017, succeeding Federica Marchionni.[17]

In 2016, feminist activist Gloria Steinem was featured in the catalog of Lands' End. After an outcry from anti-abortion customers, the company removed Steinem from their website, stating on their Facebook page:

It was never our intention to raise a divisive political or religious issue, so when some of our customers saw the recent promotion that way, we heard them. We sincerely apologize for any offense.

The company then faced further criticism online, this time both from customers who were still unhappy that Steinem had been featured in the first place, and customers who were unhappy that Steinem had been removed.[23]

In 2019, Lands' End announced the closure of its remaining store-within-a-store branches in Sears stores, after Sears Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[24][17] The last of these closed by the end of 2019.[25] As of the end of 2022, the company operated 28 retail stores.[1]

• Official website