 | |
| Company type | department store |
|---|---|
| Industry | retail |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Founder | George Upton Bobby Upton |
| Defunct | 2000 |
| Fate | Divested by American Retail Group |
| Headquarters | Norcross, Georgia, United States |
| Number of locations | 75 |
| Area served | Southeastern United States |
| Owner | American Retail Group |
Uptons was a department store based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The chain operated primarily in the Southeastern United States, with locations in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. The chain was closed in 1999.
History
The first Uptons opened at Roswell Mall in Roswell, Georgia in 1985. Two stores later opened in other parts of Atlanta. In 1987, Uptons acquired 14 stores from Meyers-Arnold of Greenville, South Carolina.
Thirty-seven locations of the Florida-based J. Byrons department store chain were acquired in 1996. A year later, the company moved its headquarters from Norcross (a suburb of metro Atlanta) into the nearby Peachtree Corners area in Technology Park Atlanta.
In July 1999, American Retail Group decided that maintaining the Uptons chain was too costly. By 2000, the chain had closed the last of its seventy-five stores. At the time, American Retail Group also owned clothing retailer Maurices, Inc.; sporting goods chain Eastern Mountain Sports, Inc; and The Hub, Inc. (which comprised the clothing chains Millers Outpost, Levi's Outlet by M.O.S.T., Dockers Outlet by M.O.S.T., Juxtapose and Anchor Blue).
References
- Altaner, David (20 July 1999). "Uptons Hangs It Up In Clothing Business". The Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- Moody, Carl (7 March 1985). "Roswell Mall grows with new tenant". The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- Lester, Debra (2 August 1987). "Westgate Meyers to Close". The Herald-Journal. Retrieved 12 August 2016 – via Google News.
- "ARG folds 37 Byrons into Uptons.(American Retail Group)(Brief Article)". Daily News Record. January 1996. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
- Wilbert, Tony (1997-12-05). "Uptons moving headquarters to Technology Park". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
- Waldrop, Libby (1999-09-17). "Uptons: Interest in its sites leads to verbal deals". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
- "Uptons stores to be shut down". Online Athens. 1999-07-20. Archived from the original on 2009-08-02. Retrieved 2007-09-29.
- ^ "Uptons stores to close". Atlanta Business Chronicle. 1999-07-19. Retrieved 2007-09-29.