J.L. Hudson Company
 |
|
| Industry | Department store |
|---|---|
| Fate | locations re-branded as Marshall Field's in 2001 |
| Successor |
Marshall Field's (2001–2006) Macy's (2006–present) |
| Founded | 1881 |
| Defunct | 2001 |
| Headquarters |
Detroit, Michigan (1881–1969) Minneapolis, Minnesota (1969–2001) United States |
|
Key people
|
Joseph L. Hudson |
| Parent | Dayton–Hudson Corporation |
Hudson's, or The J.L. Hudson Company, was a retail department store chain based in Detroit, Michigan. Hudson's flagship store, on Woodward Avenue in Downtown Detroit (demolished October 24, 1998), was the tallest department store in the world in 1961, and, at one time, claimed to be the second-largest department store, after Macy's, in the United States, by square footage.
Founded in 1881 by Joseph L. Hudson, the store thrived during the record growth of Detroit and the auto industry in the first half of the 20th century. The family also founded the Hudson Motor Car Company, which eventually became part of the American Motors Corporation and later Chrysler. Hudson operated the store until his death in 1912, when his four nephews (James, Joseph, Oscar, and Richard Webber) assumed control. The third generation of the family assumed control in 1961, when Joseph L. Hudson, Jr., became president of the company.
Over time, the store grew from its beginnings in the Detroit Opera House to a 25-story building with 2,124,316 sq ft (197,355.4 m2) and occupying an entire city block.
Hudson's was known for customer satisfaction and its liberal return policy that would include even merchandise that customers had purchased years earlier but never used.
In 1952, Hudson's total sales were $175 million but issued refunds totaling $25 million. Store executives felt that to be a small price to pay for customer loyalty.
In addition to cultivating loyalty through sales policies, Hudson's was involved in the community. In 1924, two years, prior to rival Macy's, it staged its first Thanksgiving Parade, which continues today. In 1923, it unveiled the world's largest-flag, which covered 3,700 sq ft (340 m2) of the Woodward facade of the building. The flag was displayed annually until it was replaced, in 1949, by a larger flag. In 1959, the store began sponsorship of the annual fireworks display that was part of the International Freedom Festival.
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Wikipedia