COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 5961

Retail Catalog & Mail-Order Houses

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

62companies1835–1997founding years60still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedBertelsmann AGFoundedGEHE AG
1835
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
FoundedJ.C. Penney Company, Inc.
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
FoundedStanhome Inc.
1931
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedLillian Vernon Corp.
1951
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedViking Office Products, Inc.
1960
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedThe Limited, Inc.
1963
FoundedFay's Inc.
1966
FoundedCML Group, Inc.
1969
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
FoundedPinault-Printemps-Redoute S.A.
1972
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
FoundedSeattle FilmWorks, Inc.
1976
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedCompuAdd Computer Corporation
1982
FoundedMedco Containment Services Inc.
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
FoundedBlack Box Corporation
1988
FoundedSkyMall, Inc.
1989
FoundedValueVision International, Inc.
1990
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedThe L.L. Knickerbocker Co., Inc.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1994
TechnologyAmazon is founded; e-commerce begins to disrupt retail.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
Founded800-JR Cigar, Inc.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Bertelsmann AG →
Active · founded 1835 · Germany
Bertelsmann AG is the largest media group in Germany and Europe, and the second-largest in the world to the U.S.-based…
Bertelsmann AG →
Active · founded 1835 · Germany
Bertelsmann AG is the largest media group in Germany and Europe, and the second-largest in the world to the U.S.-based…
GEHE AG →
Active · founded 1835 · Germany
GEHE AG is the largest drug wholesaler in Europe.
GEHE AG →
Active · founded 1835 · Germany
GEHE AG is the largest drug wholesaler in Europe.
Spiegel, Inc. →
Active · founded 1893
Spiegel, Inc.
Spiegel, Inc. →
Active · founded 1893
Spiegel, Inc.
J.C. Penney Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1913 · www.jcpenney.com
With over 1,200 stores in all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Chile, J.C.
J.C. Penney Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1913 · www.jcpenney.com
With over 1,200 stores in all 50 states as well as Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Chile, J.C.
Book-of-the-Month Club, Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Book-of-the-Month Club, Inc.
Book-of-the-Month Club, Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Book-of-the-Month Club, Inc.
Stanhome Inc. →
Active · founded 1931
A pioneer in the direct-sales industry, Stanhome Inc.
Stanhome Inc. →
Active · founded 1931
A pioneer in the direct-sales industry, Stanhome Inc.
Lillian Vernon Corp. →
Active · founded 1951
The Lillian Vernon Corporation is a mail-order catalog company specializing in household, gardening, and decorative…
Lillian Vernon Corp. →
Active · founded 1951
The Lillian Vernon Corporation is a mail-order catalog company specializing in household, gardening, and decorative…
Gander Mountain, Inc. →
Active · founded 1960
Gander Mountain, Inc.
Gander Mountain, Inc. →
Active · founded 1960
Gander Mountain, Inc.
Viking Office Products, Inc. →
Active · founded 1960
Viking Office Products, Inc., is a leading mail order seller of office supplies to small- and medium-sized businesses.
Viking Office Products, Inc. →
Active · founded 1960
Viking Office Products, Inc., is a leading mail order seller of office supplies to small- and medium-sized businesses.
Leslie's Poolmart, Inc. →
Active · founded 1963
The world's largest specialty retailer of swimming pool supplies, Leslie's Poolmart, Inc.
Leslie's Poolmart, Inc. →
Active · founded 1963
The world's largest specialty retailer of swimming pool supplies, Leslie's Poolmart, Inc.
The Limited, Inc. →
Active · founded 1963
The Limited, Inc.
The Limited, Inc. →
Active · founded 1963
The Limited, Inc.
Ronco, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
Best-known for its fast-paced, late-night commercials and pioneering informercials, Ronco Inc.
Ronco, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
Best-known for its fast-paced, late-night commercials and pioneering informercials, Ronco Inc.
Fay's Inc. →
Active · founded 1966
Fay's Inc.
Fay's Inc. →
Active · founded 1966
Fay's Inc.
CML Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
The CML Group, Inc.
CML Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
The CML Group, Inc.
Service Merchandise Company, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1970
Service Merchandise Company, Inc.
Service Merchandise Company, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1970
Service Merchandise Company, Inc.
Pinault-Printemps-Redoute S.A. →
Active · founded 1972 · France
Pinault-Printemps-Redoute S.A.
Pinault-Printemps-Redoute S.A. →
Active · founded 1972 · France
Pinault-Printemps-Redoute S.A.
Brookstone, Inc. →
Active · founded 1973
Brookstone, Inc.
Brookstone, Inc. →
Active · founded 1973
Brookstone, Inc.
Seattle FilmWorks, Inc. →
Active · founded 1976
Seattle FilmWorks, Inc.
Seattle FilmWorks, Inc. →
Active · founded 1976
Seattle FilmWorks, Inc.
CompuAdd Computer Corporation →
Active · founded 1982
One of the world's leading direct marketers of computers and peripheral equipment, CompuAdd Computer Corporation…
CompuAdd Computer Corporation →
Active · founded 1982
One of the world's leading direct marketers of computers and peripheral equipment, CompuAdd Computer Corporation…
Sport Supply Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1982
The largest direct mail distributor of sports-related equipment in the United States, Sport Supply Group, Inc.
Sport Supply Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1982
The largest direct mail distributor of sports-related equipment in the United States, Sport Supply Group, Inc.
Medco Containment Services Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Medco Containment Services Inc.
Medco Containment Services Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Medco Containment Services Inc.
Coldwater Creek Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
On its way to achieving incredible rates of growth in the 1990s, Coldwater Creek Inc.
Coldwater Creek Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
On its way to achieving incredible rates of growth in the 1990s, Coldwater Creek Inc.
Black Box Corporation →
Active · founded 1988
Black Box Corporation is a leading direct marketer of computer communications and networking equipment.
Black Box Corporation →
Active · founded 1988
Black Box Corporation is a leading direct marketer of computer communications and networking equipment.
Insight Enterprises, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
Insight Enterprises, Inc.
Insight Enterprises, Inc. →
Active · founded 1988
Insight Enterprises, Inc.
SkyMall, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
SkyMall, Inc.
SkyMall, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
SkyMall, Inc.
ValueVision International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
ValueVision International, Inc.
ValueVision International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
ValueVision International, Inc.
Micro Warehouse, Inc. →
Active · founded 1992
Micro Warehouse, Inc.
Micro Warehouse, Inc. →
Active · founded 1992
Micro Warehouse, Inc.
The L.L. Knickerbocker Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1993 · www.knickerbocker.com
L.L.
The L.L. Knickerbocker Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1993 · www.knickerbocker.com
L.L.
West Marine, Inc. →
Active · founded 1993
West Marine, Inc., is the leading distributor of marine supplies to recreational boaters, and the largest and most…
West Marine, Inc. →
Active · founded 1993
West Marine, Inc., is the leading distributor of marine supplies to recreational boaters, and the largest and most…
800-JR Cigar, Inc. →
Active · founded 1997
800-JR Cigar, Inc.
800-JR Cigar, Inc. →
Active · founded 1997
800-JR Cigar, Inc.
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, L.L.C. →
Active · founded 1997
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, L.L.C.
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, L.L.C. →
Active · founded 1997
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, L.L.C.
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