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Chess King

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For other uses, see Chess King (disambiguation).
Chess King
IndustryClothing
Founded1968; 56 years ago (1968)
DefunctNovember 14, 1995; 28 years ago (1995-11-14)
FateBankruptcy
HeadquartersUnited States
ParentMerry Go Round Enterprises (MGRE)

Chess King was a United States men's clothing retailer created by the Melville Corporation. From its founding in 1968, it grew to over 500 locations by the mid-1980s, before an eventual decline, sale, and closure of the chain in 1995.

History

In 1967, traveling salespeople from Melville's Thom McAn shoe business noted a "wide open market" for young men's clothing, which gave birth to the idea of starting a young men's clothing and shoe store.[1] Market research reportedly found that chess and auto racing were popular interests of young men.[1]

The first Chess King branch opened in the Dedham Mall in Dedham, Massachusetts (just outside Boston), in March 1968.[2] In 1970, The New York Times described the store's concept as "teen-male apparel dress shops whose stores are highly identifiable, with bold coloring and designs aimed at appealing to the 12-to-20 male market."[2] Five additional locations were opened in 1968, and 21 more in 1969.[2] By late 1972, it had already grown to about 150 locations.[3] By 1978, it had 300 locations.[1] And by 1984, it had grown to over 500 stores.[4]

Chess King also experimented with three spin-off specialty stores in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The first, named "FreeFall", carried designer labels for men and women and was geared toward higher-end, designer, brand names. The second, named "The B Club", carried activewear for both men and women. The third, named "Garage", had a 1950s inspired decor along with a Nash Metropolitan automobile in most locations. The retailer was successful through the 1980s as a purveyor of wild 1980s fads and fashion,[5][6] but changing fashion trends contributed to the chain falling on hard times at the beginning of the 1990s.[5][6]

Melville agreed to sell Chess King in March 1993 to Maryland-based Merry Go Round Enterprises (MGRE),[7] with the sale being finalized in May of that year.[8] In January 1994, MGRE filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.[9] In November 1995, the Chess King chain closed.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c "How It All Started at Chess King". Los Angeles Times. July 13, 1978. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c Hammer, Alexander R. (August 4, 1970). "Catering to Affluent Youth Market Found Profitable". The New York Times. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
  3. ^ Backalenick, Hirene (October 17, 1972). "Spreading Suburban Menace: Shoplifting, Mainly Among Young". The New York Times. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
  4. ^ "Marshalls expanding young men's business". Daily News Record. August 16, 1984. Retrieved March 26, 2010.("Marshalls is a division of Melville Corp., which also owns Chess King, an operator of more than 500 young men's specialty stores.")
  5. ^ a b Steinhauer, Jennifer (February 3, 1996). "Bankrupt Merry-Go-Round Decides to Go Out of Business". The New York Times. Retrieved March 25, 2010.("Chess King, the mall store for young men in need of flashy shirts")
  6. ^ a b Sykes, Laura (July 7, 2000). "Well Suited". Triad Business Journal. Retrieved March 25, 2010.("At that time, he worked for Chess King, a mall-based staple of faddish clothes for young people. 'You remember the horrible clothes?' he said laughing.")
  7. ^ Strom, Stephanie (March 18, 1993). "Melville to Sell Chess King To Merry-Go-Round Chain". The New York Times. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
  8. ^ Strom, Stephanie (1993-03-18). "COMPANY NEWS; Melville to Sell Chess King To Merry-Go-Round Chain (Published 1993)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  9. ^ Strom, Stephanie (January 12, 1994). "Merry-Go-Round Files for Bankruptcy Protection". The New York Times. Retrieved March 25, 2010.
  10. ^ Business, Bloomberg (November 14, 1995). "Merry-Go-Round to close third of its stores, including Chess King". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved March 25, 2010. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)("Merry-Go-Round Enterprises Inc. said it will close more than a third of its stores, including the entire Chess King men's clothing chain, as it struggles to emerge from bankruptcy court.")
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