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%2c_7th_Street_(center)_and_North_Broadway_(right)%2c_November_1917_(CHS-5772).jpg) Bullock's Downtown, 1917 | |
| Founded | 1907; 118 years ago (1907) |
|---|---|
| Founder | John G. Bullock |
| Defunct | 1995; 30 years ago (1995) |
| Fate | Merged into Macy's |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California ,US |
Areas served | Southern California, Phoenix, Las Vegas |
| Parent |
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Bullock's was a chain of full-linedepartment stores from 1907 through 1995, headquartered inLos Angeles, growing to operate across California, Arizona and Nevada. Bullock's also operated as many as seven more upscaleBullocks Wilshire specialty department stores across Southern California. Many former Bullock's locations continue to operate today asMacy's.
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Bullock's was founded in 1907 atSeventh and Broadway in downtown Los Angeles by John G. Bullock, with the support ofThe Broadway Department Store ownerArthur Letts. In 1923, Bullock and business partner P.G. Winnett bought out Letts' interest after his death and the companies became completely separated. In 1929 Bullock & Winnett opened a luxury branch onWilshire Boulevard, referred to at the time asBullock's Wilshire (the apostrophe would later be removed).
In 1944 Bullock's acquiredI. Magnin & Co., a venerableSan Francisco-based upscale specialty chain.
Starting in 1958, Bullock's built a series of four shopping centers initially calledBullock's Fashion Square, small, elegant, and open-air, with large Bullock's stores dominating, surrounded by only around 20 or 30 much smaller specialty stores, such asI. Magnin,Desmond's,Mandel's andSilverwoods. The total gross buildable area of Bullock's Santa Ana, for example was 340,000 square feet (32,000 m2), versus only 238,000 square feet (22,100 m2) for all the other retailers combined.Bullock's Fashion Square in Santa Ana opened in 1958, followed by a Fashion Square for the San Fernando Valley (later "Sherman Oaks Fashion Square") in 1962, aFashion Square in Torrance (later called "Del Amo Fashion Square") in September 1966 andFashion Square in La Habra (which uniquely included aBuffum's branch from the beginning) in April 1968.[1]
In 1964 the then public-owned Bullock's/I. Magnin organization was acquired byFederated Department Stores, much to the dismay of surviving founder P.G. Winnett, who publicly lambasted the deal (which was initiated by his own son-in-law, Bullock's President Walter W. Candy Jr.). In the 1970s, to differentiate itself from the full-line Bullock's stores, the very exclusive Wilshire location dropped its apostrophe, and becameBullocks Wilshire, and began its own expansion.
In February 1970, Federated Department Stores replaced its Bullock's Realty Corporation, which owned and managed the Fashion Square malls, with an organization called Transwest Management;[2] Transwest sold the Torrance (future "Del Amo") Fashion Square in March of that year to new co-owners Great Lakes andGuilford Glazer and Associates,[3] while selling the three other Fashion Squares for $13 million to Urban Investment and Development Company (UIDC), who would sell them in 1973 to Bank of America Realty Investor andDraper and Kramer for $16.3 million.[1]
Bullock's, Bullocks Wilshire, and I. Magnin retained their autonomy under Federated, as well as their carriage-trade niche, with I. Magnin expanding into theChicago andWashington, D.C. metropolitan areas and Bullock's opening stores inPhoenix,[4][5]Las Vegas[6] andNorthern California.[7][8] In 1983 however, Federated shuttered the Bullock's North division[9][10][11] and sold most of its locations toSeattle,Washington retailerNordstrom. In 1988, after an ugly takeover battle betweenRobert Campeau andMacy's for Federated, Bullock's and I. Magnin were sold by Campeau to Macy's as a consolation prize for one billion dollars,[12] which plunged Macy's into debt. The new owners responded by dismantling Bullock's Los Angeles corporate offices,[13][14] merging Bullocks Wilshire into I. Magnin, and Bullock's into its Macy's South division, sending what had been Federated's most profitable division into a precipitous decline and alienating customers.
The end came quickly for Bullock's after Macy's filed for bankruptcy protection in 1992,[15] with the Bullocks Wilshire stores being renamed I. Magnin two years before.[16] Underperforming I. Magnin and Bullock's locations were closed,[17] and I. Magnin itself was dissolved in January 1995[18][19] onceFederated Department Stores reappeared on the scene and acquiredMacy's.[20] In 1996—following the acquisition ofBroadway Stores, Inc.—Federated consolidated all its traditional department-store business in California under the Macy's nameplate, ending 89 years of Bullock's.[21]
Although the Bullocks Wilshire stores were deemed the most exclusive, the full-line Bullock's stores offered upscale designers such asGiorgio Armani,Jean-Paul Gaultier,Missoni,Krizia,Stephen Sprouse,Valentino,Salvatore Ferragamo, Byblos,Hugo Boss,Gieves & Hawkes, andRobert Graham. Under Federated, the 22 Bullock's stores offered consistent assortments in each location, a key to the company's profit and success (exceptions were theLakewood,West Covina,Carlsbad andGrossmont, California, locations.) Under the corporate oversight of Macy's South in Atlanta, the 22 Bullock's stores were divided into three competing regions: merchant offices with extremely limited control were established in Santa Ana, Sherman Oaks and the existing 800 South Hope Street building. Macy's, now under tremendous debt, national economic issues and having alienated customers with swift and usually reactive changes to the Bullock's brand, focused and relied on South Coast Plaza, Sherman Oaks and Beverly Center to retain an upscale clientele.
Only full line Bullock's division stores. Note: "Closing" refers to store closing date as Bullock's or Macy's.[22]
| No. | Name | Address/Mall | Opened (M/D/YYYY) | Closed* (M/D/YYYY) | Building Current Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Downtown /Bullock's complex | Broadway, 7th, and Hill Street,Downtown Los Angeles (freestanding) | 3/4/1907 | 6/26/1983 | St. Vincent Jewelry Center |
Added more buildings over time:[23][24]
806,000 square feet (74,900 m2) at closing.[23] |
| Wilshire | 3050Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles (freestanding) | 9/24/1929 | 4/13/1993 (as BW flagship)[26] | Southwestern Law School | became "Bullocks Wilshire"(separate division) ca. 1972, then rebrandedI. Magnin along with all other BW branches | |
| Palm Springs Resort Store | November 1930 | Razed to make way for theDesert Inn Fashion Plaza, which was in turn razed in 2013. | This was a Spanish Colonial-style "resort store" within the Desert Inn complex, replaced by a full Bullock's branch in 1947.[27] | |||
| Westwood Collegienne | 1002 Westwood Boulevard[28] | 5/14/1932[29] | Replaced by full-line store 1951 | Vacant (previouslySur La Table) | This was a specialist "Collegienne" store designed in Spanish Colonial style byParkinson & Parkinson and built byJanss Investment Corporation at a cost reported variously as $150,000 and $185,000.[30][29] | |
| 03 | Pasadena | 402 South Lake Avenue (freestanding) | 9/19/1947 | - | Macy's | ArchitectsWurdeman & Becket[28] |
| Palm Springs (full branch) | 151 South Palm Canyon Drive[31] | 10/18/47 | Razed to make way for The Mercado and a new Saks Fifth Avenue.[32] | Modernist building, replaced the Desert Inn "resort shop". Became a Bullocks Wilshire branch in the 1960s. ArchitectsWurdeman & Becket.[28][33] | ||
| 04 | Westwood | 10861 Weyburn (SE corner Westwood and Weyburn), L.A. (freestanding) | 9/5/1951 | Target | Replaced "Westwood Collegienne" store; architectWelton Becket. Was a Macy's from 1996 to 1999.[28] | |
| 07 | Santa Ana | Santa Ana Fashion Square | 9/17/1958 | - | Macy's | This was the first of fourBullock's Fashion Square centers. ArchitectsPereira & Luckman. Mall was built out extensively and is now calledMainPlace. |
| 09 | San Fernando/ Valley/Sherman Oaks | Sherman Oaks Fashion Square | 4/30/1962 | - | Macy's | |
| 10 | Lakewood | Lakewood Center | 4/26/1965 | 1993[34] | Razed[34] | Razed 1995, now site ofThe Home Depot and a supermarket[34] |
| 12 | Del Amo | Del Amo Fashion Square,Torrance | 9/12/1966 | - | Macy's (Main) | |
| 15 | La Habra | La Habra Fashion Square, razed, now site of La Habra Market Place strip mall | 8/12/1968 | 1992[35] | Razed | Razed in late 1990s[36] |
| 17 | Northridge | Northridge Fashion Center | 9/10/1971 | Macy's | Store was rebuilt new after1994 Northridge earthquake | |
| 18 | South Coast Plaza | South Coast Plaza,Costa Mesa, California | 9/26/1973 | - | Macy's | |
| 19 | Mission Valley | Mission Valley Center,San Diego | 2/19/1975 | - | Macy's Home & Furniture | |
| 20 | West Covina[37] | Plaza West Covina | 9/25/1975[37][38] | 2008, Macy's consolidated into formerRobinsons-May store | Razed | Razed in 2008, now site ofBest Buy. 150,000 sq.ft.Welton Becket & Assoc., architects[37] |
| 21 | Century City | Century Square, later Century City Shopping Center, nowWestfield Century City | 9/9/1976 | - | Nordstrom (formerly Macy's) | |
| 22 | Scottsdale | Scottsdale Fashion Square | 1/31/1977 | 1996 | part ofDillard's | |
| 23 | Chris-Town | Chris-Town Mall,Phoenix | November 1987 | (closed) | Razed to make way forTarget. | |
| 24 | Mission Viejo | Mission Viejo Mall | 3/3/1980 | - | Macy's | |
| 25 | Carlsbad | Plaza Camino Real (and other names), nowThe Shoppes at Carlsbad | 10/2/80 | Macy's Men's, Home & Furniture | ||
| 26 | Las Vegas | Fashion Show Mall | 2/14/1981 | Macy's | ||
| 27 | Beverly Center | Beverly Center, Los Angeles | 4/4/1982 | - | Macy's | |
| 28 | Manhattan Beach | Manhattan Village | 4/4/1982 | - | Macy's | |
| 29 | Thousand Oaks | The Oaks | 8/4/1983 | - | Macy's Men's, Home & Children's | |
| 30 | Grossmont | Grossmont Center,La Mesa | 9/15/1983 | 1993 | Target | |
| 31 | Palm Desert | Palm Desert Town Center | 11/3/1983 | 2006, Macy's moved into former Robinsons-May store | Partially razed | Razed above ground, underground level is part of Macy's Furniture Store |
| 32 | Citicorp Plaza | Seventh Market Place, nowFIGat7th,Downtown Los Angeles | 8/4/1986 | 1996 | Gold's Gym (level M1),Target (level M2),Zara (level M3) | In this mall, the Robinsons-May became the Macy's, which also later closed as there was a Macy's in nearby Broadway Plaza. |
| 74* | Burbank | Burbank Town Center | 9/2/1992 | - | Macy's | *opened under Macy's ownership, 74 was under Macy's numbering scheme |
Bullocks Wilshire was one of the more important divisions of Bullock's, Inc. until it was consolidated into I. Magnin by Macy's in 1989. The division could be traced to the opening of a single luxury branch store of Bullock's in 1929.[39] In 1968, The Bullock's store in Palm Springs (built in 1947) was transferred to the control of Bullock's Wilshire to be its first branch store.[40] Four years later, in 1972, Bullock's Wilshire store was separated from Bullock's as a separate division with its own, president, chairman, buyers and staff with Walter Bergquist, former president of Bullock's, assigned as the division's first president.[41]
I. Magnin was acquired in 1944[42] and stores in this division were kept separate from those of Bullock's and the other divisions. Many I. Magnin stores were near the first Bullock's branches and complemented them in such as fashion that Bullock's purposely placed I. Magnin branches in three of the four Fashion Square malls that it built (in addition to invitingDesmond's,Silverwoods and other Fashion businesses not owned by Bullock's). The division lasted until 1994 when Macy's liquidated the brand and converted some of the stores to Macy's stores, selling some toSaks Fifth Avenue, and closing the rest.
In the early 1970s, Federated wanted to move into theSan Francisco Bay Area, an area of the country in which they never had any stores and was dominated by stores owned by Macy's and Broadway-Hale.[43][44][8][7] Federated decided to open a new division that reported directly to Federated, but chose a name,Bullock's North, that had some name recognition in Northern California, but was distinct enough from its sister division to the south.
The first store in the division opened at theStanford Shopping Center inPalo Alto in March 1972. It had 150,000 square feet on two floors.[45] Two years later, a second store was opened in downtownWalnut Creek in 1974,[46] followed by a third store that was opened in the following year at theVallco Fashion Park inCupertino.[47]
A store was originally scheduled to open in Marin County the following year. Federated obtained property and even received clearance from theCorte Madera City Council to start construction, but resistance by local residents was so strong that they were able to obtain arecall election and were able to eject the city council members that had voted in favor for the new store off the council and thus killing the project.[48] A fourth store opened in 1977 at theStonestown shopping center in San Francisco[48][49] and was followed by the opening of a fifth store in 1978 at theOakridge Mall inSan Jose. In 1982, Bullock's North opened its sixth and final store in the ill-fated Fashion Island Mall in San Mateo.[50] This particular store was unusual because the store was covered by a tent instead of a conventional roof.[11][51] The unusual roof was probably one of the reasons why Federated was unable to sell this particular store and closed the store as soon as the lease had expired.
A year later, Federated closed the division and sold five of the stores and quietly closed the San Mateo store.[9][10][11] Nordstrom purchased three stores whileEmporium-Capwell andMervyn's each purchased a single store.
In the late 1980s, Federated recognized that many of their young affluent women customers were unable to find youthful designer clothing inplus sizes and that very few stores were catering to that market, with the exception ofLane Bryant, Federated decided to test the idea that the plus-sized market young adult market was under-served by opening a stand-alone shop calledBullock's Woman in an upscale Las Vegas mall that already held a full-line Bullock's department store in March 1987.[52][53] After operating the store for a few months, Federated determined that the venture was profitable enough to expand the concept to other malls containing Bullock's and/or Bullocks Wilshire by opening second and third stores in Palm Desert and in Woodland Hills in September 1987.[54][55]
By 1992, other units were opened in Burbank,[56] Century City[57] and Santa Ana.[57] When the Bullock's and Broadway nameplates were replaced with that of Macy's in 1996, a situation was created in which Macy's inherited excess floor space in the same malls that held the stand-alone Bullock's Woman stores so these were eventually integrated into the nearest Macy's store as theMacy's Woman department which specialized in the plus-sized designer clothing market
The first Bullock's Department Store to be located outside of California will be constructed in the Camel View Shopping Center, Scottsdale, Ariz.,the firm said.
Bullock's has opened a full-line department store in the Camel View Plaza, Scottsdale, Ariz., the first entry of the chain into that state. The chain has broken ground for a second Paradise Valley store to open in Christown in 1978.
The five major department stores at the Fashion Show in Las Vegas offer a diverse selection of goods. Bullock's, a 122,550-square-foot facility, will feature a contemporary interior.
Federated Department Stores Inc., announced the creation Tuesday of a new division, Bullock's north, which will open a chain of Bullock's department stores in the San Francisco area.
Federated Department stores Inc. plans to start a new division, Bullock's North, in the San Francisco area. The first store in the new division will be in the Stanford shopping center in Palo Alto. It is to open in the spring of 1972.
The unit, which was established in 1971 as a separate and autonomous group from Federated's Los Angeles-based Bullock's division, operates six stores located in Palo Alto, Walnut Creek, San Jose, Vallco in Cupertino, Oakridge in San Jose and Stonestown and Fashion Island in San Mateo. The transaction does not affect the Southern California Bullock's operations. Seattle-based Nordstrom, which currently operates one store in the San Mateo area, confirmed reports that it reached an agreement to acquire the Bullock's stores in Walnut Creek, Palo Alto and Oakridge.
Federated Department Stores said Wednesday it plans to liquidate its Bullock's Northern California division, based in Palo Alto, and has already signed letters of intent to sell off 'certain stores'. But the Seattle-based Nordstrom confirmed it is buying three of the six Bullock's North units - Palo Alto and Walnut Creek near San Francisco and Oakridge in San Jose. Carter Hawley Hale in Los Angeles said it agreed to purchase the Vallco store in San Jose for its San Francisco-based Emporium-Capwell division. Mervyn's, the promotional department store chain based in Hayward, Calif., is reportedly negotiating for the Stonestown store. The sixth remaining unit is Fashion Island in San Mateo, which is an experimentally designed store with a tent-like polyurethane roof.
Bullock's Wilshire is a temple to women.
Bullock's has confirmed it has changed the name of its Palm Springs operation to Bullock's Wilshire," but company president Walter Bergquist said there are no present plans to change other stores to that name.
Bullock's Inc., has taken the wraps off an expansion program which has long been the subject of speculation along the retail front. It includes development of Bullock's Wilshire as a separate business, with its own growth program, and addition of new Bullock's units. Word of these developments came from Weston P. Figgins, chairman. and Howard Goldfeder, president. Both declined to expand on a terse bulletin. Bullock's Wilshire, which has long operated as an autonomous entity under the Bullock's management wing, now will function on its own with additional units carrying Bullock's Wilshire merchandise. Goldfeder succeeded Walter Bergquist as Bullock's president. Bergquist was shifted to the new post of president, Bullock's Wilshire, a step which tended to substantiate speculation relative to possible growth of the autonomous store which also operates Bullock's unit in Palm Springs. Bullock's. Inc., operates 10 stores.
Final steps were started yesterday in the affiliation of I. Magnin & Co. with Bullock's, Inc. P.G. Winnett, president of Bullock's, announced that more than 80 per cent of the outstanding share of I. Magnin have accepted Bullock's offer of exchange.
Federated Department Stores, Inc., the country's largest department-store chain, announced yesterday the establishment of a new division. Bullock's North, in the San Francisco area. The first store in the new division, to be followed by others, will be a 15,000-square-foot unit in the Stanford Shopping Center In Palo Alto, Calif. It is expected to open by spring, 1972.
Federated Department Stores, Inc., Tuesday announced the launching of Bullock's North, a new division in the San Francisco area, to be headed by Morton Hull. Bullock's North's first store will total 150,000 square feet, and will be in the Stanford shopping center in Palo Alto.
Bullock's North, the Federated Dept. Stores Inc., division building its first store in the Stanford shopping center here is about to sign for two more stores. For the time being, the Stanford store will be the headquarters. As reported, the Stanford unit will be 150,000 square feet on two levels. According to the president, Bullock's is setting its sights on the upper middle price market in the area. Retail observers here think a major battle is shaping up between Bullock's North and Macy's California.
Bullock's North finally cleared the last hurdles to its proposed second store in downtown Walnut Creek. The store, which opened its first unit in Sanford shopping center here last March. Bullock's plans to build a three-story, 180,000-square-foot store at the corner of South Broadway and Mt. Diablo Boulevard, downtown. The area is called the Broadway shopping center. Opening is scheduled for March 1974, and ground will be broken soon.
Bullock's North has opened its third northern California store. The 180,000-square-foot Store is in the Vallco Fashion Park, at the intersection of Route 280 and Wolfe Ave., here. The other two Bullock's North stores are in the Stanford shopping center, Palo Alto, and in downtown Walnut Creek. Work reportedly will start soon on Bullock's next store, in Marin County.
Bullock's North is planning its fourth store in this area and the first in San Francisco, in the Stonestown shopping center. Bullock's expects to build a 180,000-square-foot unit on the former City of Paris site in the center, with a multi-story parking facility next door. Apparently, the new unit will be a full-line department store similar to units in Walnut Creek and Vallco Park. Both stores recently opened furniture departments. The main store, in the Stanford shopping center, still has no furniture section, and is the smallest of the three, 150,000 square feet. Bullock's committed itself to a branch in the Corte Madera shopping center in Marin County several years ago, but the electorate recalled the City Council members who had approved the plan.
Construction is underway on the 172,000-square-foot Bullock's North branch in Stonestown shopping center here.
Construction has been completed on the $62-million, 856,000-square-foot San Mateo Fashion Island, a single level shopping and recreation complex in San Mateo. The complex features Bullock's, J.C. Penney, Liberty House and Montgomery Ward department stores and 132 specialty shops.
Taking a plunge into the fastest-growing segment of apparel retailing, the Bullock's department store chain is opening a Las Vegas store catering to large-size apparel for women. The 3,000-square-foot store, to be called Bullock's Woman, is scheduled to open March 14 at the city's Fashion Show Mall, next to a Bullock's department store and not far from a Lane Bryant, the reputed leader in large-size retailing.
Bullock's will open a prototype store on Monday for large-size women's apparel. Called Bullock's Woman, it will be in the Las Vegas Fashion Show Mall. The 3,000-square-foot store will be the first of a planned chain of possibly 15 stores that will carry dresses and sportswear for sizes 14 to 24. Bullock's Woman will also carry a limited assortment of accessories, intimate apparel and hosiery. Bullock's Woman marks the first time this division of Federated Department Stores has spun off a specialty store concept since the opening of Bullocks Wilshire in 1929.
Buoyed by a successful six-month test run of its Bullock's Woman store in Las Vegas, the Los Angeles department store company last week opened a second location at the Palm Desert Town Center, and will start up a third, at Promenade Mall in Woodland Hills, next Saturday.
Bullock's Woman will make its debut in southern California Saturday with a 3,000-square-foot store in the Palm Desert Town Center. The large size specialty store concept was introduced last March in Las Vegas by Bullock's department stores. A third store is tentatively slated to open Sept. 26 at Woodland Hills Promenade shopping center in the San Fernando Valley.
When Bullock's opened free-standing Bullock's Woman stores in Woodland Hills and Palm Desert in 1987, the move made minor history. Now another one is set to open in Burbank.
In Century City Shopping Center & Marketplace, the lineup of new shops includes ... Bullock's Woman, a separate Bullock's store for large-sized women