BERGNER'S

'Bergner's' is a major department store in central and northern Illinois, established in 1889 in Peoria, Illinois, and offering mid-line to higher end merchandise in their largest stores. The current flagship store is located in Peoria at The Shoppes at Grande Prairie.

Contents

History

Beginnings

Expansion

Acquisions

Bankruptcy and Acquison by Proffitt's

Sale to The Bon-Ton

Locations

Current Locations

Illinois

Former Locations

Illinois

Wisconsin

See also

References

External links

History

Beginnings

Bergner's was founded in downtown Peoria in 1889 by Peter Alan Bergner. Several years later, Bergner moved to another location in downtown Peoria, remaining at the location for many years. The company was family-owned by P.A. Bergner until his death in the mid-1920s. His son owned the company until his suicide in 1938 in Henry, Illinois. The Maus company, based in Switzerland, acquired the company at that point and gave the store its unique red logo of six hexagons, an emblem Bergner's now shares with five corporate siblings.

Expansion

In 1957, a second Bergner's store was opened in Peoria at the then-suburban Sheridan Village shopping center. This Bergner's was the largest department store in Illinois outside of the Chicago area. The chain opened more stores in the Peoria-Pekin area afterwards, then expanded as far as the Chicago suburbs.

Acquisions

The late 1970s and 1980s saw change for Bergner's. It acquired the eight stores of Myers Brothers Company of Springfield, Illinois in 1978. In 1985, Bergner's acquired Boston Store and all of its department stores in Wisconsin along with three Gimbel's locations. In 1989, P.A. Bergner bought Chicago's Carson Pirie Scott for over $450 million. Carson's itself had just bought Minneapolis-based Donaldson's in November 1987. With this, Bergner's was a major Midwestern presence, with stores in five states: Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, and Iowa, operating under the Bergner's, Carson Pirie Scott and Boston Store names.

Bankruptcy and Acquison by Proffitt's

In August 1991, Bergner's filed for bankruptcy, with the company coming out of Chapter 11 in 1993 with the new name Carson Pirie Scott & Co. and becoming a publicly-traded company.
Proffitt's Inc. (now Saks Incorporated) bought the company in 1998 and named the purchased group of stores the Northern Department Store group internally; its purchase increased the northern presence of the Saks company.

Sale to The Bon-Ton

In July 2005, Saks completed the sale of its Southern Department Store Group consisting of Proffitt's and McRae's to Charlotte, North Carolina-based Belk, Inc. On October 31, 2005, Saks announced that it was selling Bergner's and its other Northern Department Store Group stores (Carson Pirie Scott, Younkers, Boston Store, and Herberger's) to Bon-Ton Stores in a $1.1 billion deal; the transaction was completed on March 6, 2006.^[1] As of 2006, the Bergner's name is used at 14 locations, all in Illinois.

Locations

Current Locations

Illinois

★ Bloomington - Eastland Mall

★ Champaign - Market Place Mall

★ Forsyth - Hickory Point Mall

★ Galesburg - Sandburg Mall

★ Machesney Park - Machesney Park Mall (opened as Prange's, later Younkers)

★ Pekin - East Court Village (formerly Pekin Mall)

★ Peoria

★
★ Sheridan Village (opened 1957)

★
★ The Shoppes at Grand Prairie

★ Peru - Peru Mall

★ Quincy - Quincy Mall

★ Rockford - Cherryvale Mall (opened as Prange's, later Younkers)

★ Springfield - White Oaks Mall

★ Sterling - Northland Mall (opened as Charles V. Weise, then Bergner-Weise)

Former Locations

Illinois

★ Aurora - Northgate Shopping Center (opened as Charles V. Weise in 1976, Bergner-Weise in 1980, Bergner's in 1983, converted to Carson Pirie Scott in 1990)

★ Joliet - Louis Joliet Mall (opened as Bergner-Weise in 1979, Bergner's in 1983, converted to Carson Pirie Scott in 1990)

★ Mount Prospect - Randhurst (formerly Wieboldt's, converted to Carson Pirie Scott in 1990)

★ Peoria - downtown: flagship store for decades, SW corner of Adams St. and Fulton St.
★ ; Madison Park Shopping Center, Harman Hwy
★
★ ( both closed early 1990s;
★ building torn down/
★
★ building renovated)

★ Rockford

★
★ Colonial Village Mall (opened as Charles. V. Weise, closed 2006, vacant)

★
★ North Towne Mall (opened as Charles V. Weise, now Gustafson's Furniture)

★ Urbana - Lincoln Square Mall (formerly Carson Pirie Scott 1964-1991 and Herberger's 1994-1999, operated as Bergner's from 1991 to 1993 and 1999-2002 when it closed. Current offices of Health Alliance.)

★ West Dundee - Spring Hill Mall (opened as Bergner-Weise in March 1981, Bergner's in 1983, converted to Carson Pirie Scott in 1990)

Wisconsin

★ Beloit, Wisconsin - Beloit Plaza (formerly Charles V. Weise, closed 1997; torn down for Elder-Beerman)

★ Janesville, Wisconsin - Janesville Mall (opened as Charles V. Weise in 1973, became Bergner-Weise, then Bergner's, coverted to Boston Store in 1991)

★ Racine, Wisconsin - Regency Mall (closed 1986 after purchase of Boston Store)

See also

★ Carson Pirie Scott - more information about corporate activity

References

1. Bon-Ton press release

External links

★ Bergner's - official site and shopping site

★ The Bon-Ton to Acquire 142 stores from Saks Incorporated for $1.1 billion in cash — Purchase announcement from
October 31, 2005