 | |
 Display advertisements announcing the 1910 opening of the New York flagship store | |
| Industry | Retail |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1842 |
| Founder | Adam Gimbel |
| Defunct | 1987 |
| Fate | Liquidation |
| Successor | None |
| Headquarters | New York, New York, United States |
Key people | Adam L. Gimbel Bernard Gimbel |
| Products | Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products and housewares |
| Parent | Formerly Gimbel Brothers Inc. |
| Subsidiaries | Formerly Saks |
Gimbel Brothers (known simply as Gimbels) was an American department store corporation that operated for over a century, from 1842 until 1987. Gimbel patriarch Adam Gimbel opened his first store in Vincennes, Indiana, in 1842. In 1887, the company moved its operations to the Gimbel Brothers Department Store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It became a chain when it opened a second, larger store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1894, moving its headquarters there. At the urging of future company president Bernard Gimbel, grandson of the founder, the company expanded to New York City in 1910.
The company is known for creating the oldest Thanksgiving parade, the Gimbels Thanksgiving Day Parade, originating in 1920 in Philadelphia. Gimbels was also considered the chief rival of Macy's with their feud popularized in American culture. As of 1930, Gimbels had grown to 20 stores, whose sales revenue made it the largest department store chain in the world. The company expanded to a peak of 53 stores by 1965, and closed in 1987 with 35 stores in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Connecticut.[1]
- ^ Lentz, Philip (July 24, 1986). "Gimbels Throws In The Discount Towel At Herald Square". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 27, 2018.