Subsidiary | |
Industry | Retail |
Founded | 1826 |
Headquarters | New York, New York, U.S. |
Number of locations
|
50,+4 L&T outlets |
Products | Clothing, footwear, jewelry, beauty products, fragrances, electronics, bedding and housewares |
Owner | NRDC Equity Partners |
Parent | Hudson's Bay Company |
Subsidiaries | Find @ Lord & Taylor |
Website | www |
Lord & Taylor is the oldest luxury department store in the United States, headquartered in New York City. It is a subsidiary of the oldest commercial corporation in North America, the Hudson's Bay Company.
Lord & Taylor consists of 50 "flagship" and "destination" locations, four L&T outlets, and the Lord & Taylor website which ships internationally.
Samuel Lord started a dry goods business in New York in 1824, and opened the original store that would become Lord & Taylor in 1826, on Catherine Street. The shop stocked hosiery, misses' wear, and cashmere shawls. His cousin, George Washington Taylor, joined in 1834, and the store was named Lord Taylor. Sames S. Taylor, Lord's brother-in-law, replaced George Taylor in 1845. The store moved to Grand Street and Chrystie Street in 1854.
In 1860, they opened a second store on Broadway at Grand Street, keeping the older store open. Lord retired in 1862. In 1870 the Broadway store moved a mile uptown, to a new cast-iron building at Broadway and 20th Street, in the area known as the "Ladies' Mile". The new store was expanded around 1890 by annexing a building to east. The downtown store continued to function, expanded through to Forsyth St, and advertised until at least 1887 as a new building. The Grand Street store was sold by Samuel Lord's estate in 1901.
The iconic Starrett & van Vleck Fifth Avenue store and headquarters opened between 38th and 39th streets on February 24, 1914. The Broadway store was quickly sold, on March 26. The Fifth Avenue store became a New York City Landmark in December 2007.
A founding member of Associated Dry Goods, Lord & Taylor was considered to be their "crown jewel". When the May Company acquired ADG in 1986, it was assumed that May bought them just for their luxury division. Today Lord & Taylor has grown to 50 locations across the United States, each store has a distinctive contrast of classical and contemporary elements and are designed one of a kind.