A J.Jill retail store at Hamilton Corner in Chattanooga, Tennessee

J.Jill is an American womenswear retailer founded in 1955 in Massachusetts. It has been a publicly-traded company since 2017. J.Jill is headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts.[1]

History

J.Jill was founded in the Berkshires, specifically in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, as a specialty store, by Karl Lipsky (1914—2009),[2] in 1955, which he named for his wife, Jenifer, and daughter, Jill.[3] Prior to J.Jill, Lipsky had previously founded Jenifer House, a catalog fashion retailer.[2]

In 2006, J.Jill was acquired by rival retailer The Talbots, Inc., ceasing to be a publicly traded company; Talbots topped Liz Claiborne in a "bidding war" for ownership of J. Jill, paying US$517 million for the brand.[4] Despite the high sale three years before Golden Gate Capital acquired the company for a devalued $63 million in 2009.[5]

On March 9, 2017, J.Jill again became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), trading under the ticker symbol JILL.[6] In June 2019, its shares took the biggest percentage decline since its 2017 IPO, plummeting 53.5%, which analysts blamed on design and color issues surrounding its inventory, and a premature move from its catalog model to a digital sales platform.[7]

In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, J.Jill donated $50,000 to First Responders First, through its J.Jill Compassion Fund, and launched a campaign for National Nurses Month, offering a shopping voucher for its newest collection to nurses, first responders, and healthcare workers.[8][9]

References

  1. ↑ "The J. Jill Group Inc". encyclopedia.com. May 26, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Leveille, Gary (2014). Legendary Locals of the Southern Berkshires. Arcadia Publishing. p. 62.
  3. ↑ Townes, John A. (February 10, 1991). "NORTHEAST NOTEBOOK: Great Barrington, Mass.; New Stores For Old Farm". The New York Times. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Talbots Agrees to Acquire J. Jill". Los Angeles Times. February 7, 2006. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  5. ↑ Chesto, John (February 23, 2014). "Quincy-based J. Jill chain could have new ownership soon". BizJournals. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  6. ↑ Kline, Daniel (Mar 8, 2017). "Everything You Need to Know About the J. Jill IPO". The Motley Fool.
  7. ↑ Garcia, Tonya. "J.Jill shares plummet 53% as execution and design issues take a toll on sales". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2019-08-23.
  8. ↑ "J.Jill Launches Campaign to Give Back to Nurses, Healthcare Workers and First Responders Through Donations and Giveaways for National Nurses Month". The Wall Street Journal. May 6, 2020. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  9. ↑ Day, Nicola (May 28, 2020). "J.Jill, Inc. (JILL) future in Consumer Cyclical Sector". Newsheater. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
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