VF Corporation
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Formerly | Vanity Fair Mills |
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Type | Public |
NYSE: VFC S&P 500 Component | |
Industry | Apparel Accessories |
Founded | October 1899 Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S. | (as Reading Glove and Mitten Manufacturing Company)
Headquarters | Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
Key people | Steve Rendle (Chairman, President and CEO) |
Products | Footwear & apparel |
Revenue | ![]() |
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Total assets | ![]() |
Total equity | ![]() |
Number of employees | 50,000 (2019)[1] |
Website | vfc.com |
VF Corporation (formerly Vanity Fair Mills until 1969) is an American worldwide apparel and footwear company founded in 1899 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado.[2] The company's 13 brands are organized into three categories: Outdoor, Active and Work.[3] The company controls 55% of the U.S. backpack market with the JanSport, Eastpak, Timberland, and North Face brands.[4]
History[]
In October 1899, John Barbey and a group of investors established the company as Reading Glove and Mitten Manufacturing Company (or simply 'The Reading Glove') in Reading, Pennsylvania.[5][6] Incorporated on December 4 later that year, they began with $11,000 in a 320-square-foot (30 m2) factory that was leased for $60/month.[citation needed]
Expanding into silk lingerie in 1913, 'The Reading Glove' was renamed 'Schuylkill Silk Manufacturing', branding its lingerie line as “Vanity Fair". Soon thereafter, the company name changed in turn to Vanity Fair Mills, eventually going public in 1951.[5]
In 1969, the H.D. Lee Company (now Lee) was acquired, accompanied by Vanity Fair Mills changing to VF Corporation. By 1982 VF posted profits of $15.5 million on sales of $184 million.[6] Acquiring Blue Bell Inc. for US$762 million in 1986, VF added Wrangler, JanSport, Rustler, Jantzen, and Red Kap to its portfolio, effectively doubling its size and making it the largest publicly-held clothing company. VF would also become one of the two largest jeans makers in the world, making up 25% of the market.[5]
In 1998, VF moved its headquarters from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania to Greensboro, North Carolina to be closer to more of its operations.[7] Also in the 1990s, VF would acquire the Bulwark Apparel brand.[5]
In the early noughties, VF's acquisitions included The North Face and Eastpak in 2000;[8] and Kipling,[9] Napapijri, and Vans in 2004. The company sold its 'Vanity Fair Intimates' lingerie business to Fruit of the Loom for US$350 million in cash on 23 January 2007.[10] Later that month, VF acquired Eagle Creek. Also in 2007, VF acquired Majestic Athletic on February 28, followed by a $885-million purchase of 7 for all Mankind and Lucy Activewear on July 26.[11]
Eric C. Wiseman became President, CEO, and Chairman in 2008,[12] the same year that VF would acquire Mo Industries Holdings, parent company of sportswear brands Splendid and Ella Moss.[13]
In 2011, VF Corporation announced its intention to purchase Timberland for $2.2 billion,[14] a deal that would close in September that year.[15] On 21 December 2012, VF Imagewear was awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to provide uniforms and insignia for U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.[16] In February 2013, Imagewear was awarded a $50 million contract to manufacture uniforms for Transportation Security Administration officers.[17]
Effective 1 January 2017 Steve Rendle took over CEO and President responsibilities.[18] In 2017, VF acquired Williamson-Dickie’s brands, including Dickies, Workrite, Kodiak, Terra, and Walls.[5] The next year, VF would acquire Icebreaker, complementing its Smartwool brand, as both feature Merino wool in its clothing and accessories.[5] In 2020, VF acquired streetwear brand Supreme for US$2.1 billion.[19][20]
In 2021, VF announced a definitive agreement to sell a portion of its occupational Work segment to a subsidiary of Redwood Capital Investments, LLC.[21] On June 28, 2021, the sale was finalized, and the 11 divested brands became part of a new standalone company, Workwear Outfitters.[22]
Spinoff[]
In August 2018, it was announced that VF would be splitting into two separate companies. The jeans and outlet stores would be spun off as Kontoor Brands. VF kept the sports apparel and footwear businesses, and moved its corporate headquarters (and around 800 employees) to Denver, Colorado. An 11-story office building at 1551 Wewatta Street near Denver Union Station would become VF's new corporate headquarters.[23] All brands which until 2018 had maintained separate divisional headquarters (e.g., Jansport) were also consolidated into VF's new Denver headquarters at that point in time.
Kontoor Brands Inc. became a separate company with the stock symbol KTB on 23 May 2019. Kontoor includes Lee, Wrangler, Rock & Republic and VF Outlets. The company had 17,000 employees,[24] 600 at the headquarters,[25] at 400 North Elm Street in Greensboro, and merchandising, design, product development and innovation at Revolution Mill.[26] A support center is located on South Elm-Eugene Street. Lee moved to Elm Street from Merriam, Kansas. CEO Scott Baxter said the name Kontoor referred to the "contour" of the body, but the original spelling could not be used.[25]
Brands[]
Current brands[]
Workwear[]
Outdoor and action sports[]
Date of acquisition or merger in parenthesis.
- Altra (2018)[28]
- Eagle Creek (2007)
- Eastpak (2000)[8]
- Icebreaker (2018)
- Lab (1999)
- JanSport (1986)
- Kipling (2004)[9]
- The North Face (2000)
- Napapijri (2004)
- SmartWool (2011)
- Supreme (2020)[19]
- Timberland (2011)
- Vans (2004)
Divested brands[]
- Vanity Fair lingerie (sold in 2007 to Fruit of the Loom)
- 7 for All Mankind (sold in 2016 to Delta Galil Industries)
- Splendid (sold in 2016 to Delta Galil Industries)
- Ella Moss (sold in 2016 to Delta Galil Industries)
- Majestic Athletic (sold in 2017 to Fanatics)
- Nautica (sold in 2018 to Authentic Brands Group)
- Bulwark Protective Apparel (sold in 2021 to Redwood Capital Investments, LLC; became part of Workwear Outfitters)
- Chef Designs (sold in 2021 to Redwood Capital Investments, LLC; became part of Workwear Outfitters)
- Horace Small (a clothing company—founded in 1937 and based in Nashville, Tennessee—that produced uniforms for law enforcement, fire, EMS, security and land management services.[29] In 1999, the company was acquired by VF Corporation, and was renamed as The Force in 2005, but reverted to the original brand name in 2010.)[30] In 2021, the Horace Small brand was sold to Redwood Capital Investments, LLC; and later became part of Workwear Outfitters.
- Kodiak (sold in 2021 to Redwood Capital Investments, LLC; became part of Workwear Outfitters)
- Liberty (sold in 2021 to Redwood Capital Investments, LLC; became part of Workwear Outfitters)
- Red Kap (sold in 2021 to Redwood Capital Investments, LLC; became part of Workwear Outfitters)
- Terra (sold in 2021 to Redwood Capital Investments, LLC; became part of Workwear Outfitters)
- VF Solutions (sold in 2021 to Redwood Capital Investments, LLC; became part of Workwear Outfitters)
- Walls (sold in 2021 to Redwood Capital Investments, LLC; became part of Workwear Outfitters)
- Work Authority (sold in 2021 to Redwood Capital Investments, LLC; became part of Workwear Outfitters)
- Workrite Fire Service (sold in 2021 to Redwood Capital Investments, LLC; became part of Workwear Outfitters)
VF Outlet, Inc.[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/VF_Outlet_Store.jpg/220px-VF_Outlet_Store.jpg)
In 1970, it was the suggestion of M.O. Lee, then President of VF Corporation, that established the VF Outlet business. Surplus products from VF sources including Berkshire International and Vanity Fair were sold to the public from a 5,000 square foot factory store, with only a drop cloth separating it from the company's manufacturing facility.[31] In doing so, VF Corporation created a brand-new retail industry, the outlet mall. The first VF Outlet factory store opened in Reading, Pennsylvania. The outlet mall, located in Vanity Fair's old manufacturing mills, was dubbed the official "Outlet Capital of the World."[32] The corporate name was changed from VF Outlet Village to VF Outlet Center in 2008. Today, the VF Outlet Center is owned and operated by VF Outlet, Inc. with over 1,000,000 square feet of retail space and more than 20 stores.[33] The VF Outlet location in Reading, Pennsylvania closed on December 24, 2020.[34]
VF Outlet stores offer everyday apparel including brand name jeans, intimate apparel, activewear, swimwear, and more for women, men and children. The company currently operates 79 stores in 31 states nationwide.[35]
In October 2013, VF Outlet launched their E-commerce store.[36]
The VF Outlet business moved to Kontoor Brands Inc., established as a separate company May 23, 2019.[24]
See also[]
- Wrangler (jeans)
- Lee (jeans)
- Rock and Republic
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "V F CORP 2018 Annual Report Form (10-K)" (PDF). VF Corporation. February 26, 2018.
- ^ "VF on the Forbes Global 2000 List". Retrieved 18 December 2014.
- ^ "VF Corp (VFC) Company Profile". Archived from the original on 26 April 2010. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
- ^ Tabuchi, Hiroko (2 September 2015). "Backpack Makers Rethink a Student Staple". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Company History".
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Time and Time Again: The Women, the Union and the Vanity Factory". 1996.
- ^ "VF Corp. Changes Its Underware The $5.5-billion-a-year maker of jeans and lingerie is sewing together its operations with an array of packaged software. - December 7, 1998". archive.fortune.com.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "VF Completes Eastpak Acquisition." just-style. 2000 May 31.
- ^ Jump up to: a b VF Services, Inc. 2004 June 15. "Acquires Kipling Brand; Lifestyle Brand of Bags and Accessories Offers Excellent Potential for Growth."
- ^ "VF Corp. Has The Midas Touch". Retrieved 22 April 2015.
- ^ "Apparel Maker Buying 2 Companies". The New York Times. Associated Press. 2007-07-26. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ "Eric Wiseman, Chairman, President, CEO, VF". Bloomberg. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ^ "VF Completes Acquisition of Mo Industries, Owner of Splendid and Ella Moss Contemporary Sportswear Brands". 12 March 2009.
- ^ Holmes, Elizabeth (2011-06-14). "Sale Gives Timberland Leg Up". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2020-02-04.
- ^ "VF Completes Acquisition of The Timberland Company". VF Corporation.
- ^ "Imagewear CBP Contract". Retrieved 7 March 2015.
- ^ "Imagewear TSA uniform contract". Retrieved 7 March 2015.
- ^ "Executive Leadership Team".
- ^ Jump up to: a b VF Corporation. 2020 November 9. "VF Corporation Announces Definitive Agreement To Acquire Iconic, Global Streetwear Leader Supreme®." VF Corp.
- ^ "VF to Buy Supreme for $2.1 Billion to Boost Apparel Brands". Bloomberg.com. 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
- ^ "VF Corporation Enters Into Definitive Agreement to Sell the Occupational Portion of Its Work Segment" (Press release). VF Corporation. April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
- ^ "VF Corporation Completes the Sale of the Occupational Portion of Its Work Segment" (Press release). VF Corporation. June 28, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
- ^ "VF Corporation, parent company of outdoor brands The North Face, Smartwool, will relocate headquarters, 800 workers to Denver". August 13, 2018.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Craver, Richard (25 May 2019). "Kontoor begins independent life with focus on jeans innovation, attracting new customers". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Wilson, Carl (May 23, 2019). "The shape of things: Jeans company Kontoor promises to 'develop deep roots' in Greensboro". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- ^ Craver, Richard (December 6, 2018). "VF chooses Kontoor Brands as name for Jeanswear spinoff". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
- ^ "VF Corp buys Dickies for $820 million".
- ^ VF Corporation. 2018 June 1. "VF Corporation Completes Acquisition of Altra®." VF Corp.
- ^ "Horace Small". www.vfimagewear.com. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ^ "VF Imagewear Relaunches Horace Small Brand of Law Enforcement Apparel". Retrieved 21 July 2017.
- ^ "About VF Outlet". VFOutlet.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
- ^ "Reading Officially 'Outlet Capital Of The World'". 1 September 1991. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
- ^ "Store Listings & Center Map". VFOutletCenter.com. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
- ^ Rader, Tom (December 24, 2020). "VF Outlet in Berks closes its doors". Allentown, PA: WFMZ-TV. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ "VF Outlet Store Locator". Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
- ^ "VF Outlet - Discount Clothing for Women, Men, Kids & Baby". Retrieved 17 June 2015.
External links[]
- Official website
- Business data for VF Corporation:
- VF Corporation
- Companies based in Berks County, Pennsylvania
- Companies based in Greensboro, North Carolina
- Manufacturing companies based in Denver
- Clothing companies of the United States
- Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange
- American companies established in 1899
- 1899 establishments in Pennsylvania
- Multinational companies headquartered in the United States