BRANDX.COM TO RELAUNCH BONTON.COM; BRICK-AND-MORTAR STORE OPENS FEB. 2023
BrandX has announced the upcoming relaunch of legacy department store Bon Ton’s e-commerce site for Summer 2022, followed by a Carson’s brick-and-mortar location in February 2023. BrandX is re-establishing both Bon Ton and Stage Stores, along with related nameplates, in regions where they once flourished, retaining recognized names and brand identities. The launch will feature women’s, men’s, home & furniture, and accessories departments, with kids’ arriving in time for the back-to-school season.
BrandX was founded in 2021 by the Ramani brothers: Deepak Ramani as its President and CEO, and Kamal Ramani as its Chief Financial Officer. In 2021 it acquired Bon Ton and six other nameplates: Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson’s, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s, and Younkers. In early 2022, it acquired Stage Stores and additional nameplates.
The company plans to open the first brick-and-mortar location, a Carson’s store in the Louis Joliet Mall in Joliet, Illinois (a Chicago suburb), with plans to open additional brick-and-mortar stores in strategic locations throughout 2023.
“Our mission is to serve local communities by delivering quality, service, and style to our customers. This is as much about local destination shopping as it is about online shopping,” said Deepak Ramani, President & CEO, BrandX. “We want to be our customers’ hometown store.”
Leveraging a 124-year legacy and over 13.1 million loyal customers, BrandX is set to build upon Bon Ton’s and Stage Stores’ pre-pandemic business and introduce shoppers to updated product assortments from popular brands, as well as exciting new additions. Its merchant team consists of industry veterans from Calvin Klein, Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Tommy Hilfiger, among others. The team is combing the market for the right mix of quality and fashion, with the goal of driving product assortments forward.
Bon-Ton (now Bon Ton) was founded in 1898 when father and son Samuel and Max Grumbacher opened Grumbacher & Sons, a one-room millinery and dry goods store in York, Pennsylvania. Four years later, the store opened two new locations under the name “Bon-Ton Millinery“. The name “Bon-Ton” was drawn from a British term connoting high society. In 2005, The Bon-Ton Stores chain doubled in size with the $1.1 billion purchase of the 142 stores of Saks’ Northern Store Group.
