John Geisse
Encyclopedia
John F. Geisse was the founder of Target Stores and a major retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...

 pioneer. He was inducted by his peers into Discount Store News Discount Hall of Fame in 1984. for being the author of the Better Quality Upscale Discount Store Concept in America

During his retailing career, Geisse launched three successful retail chains. In 1962, he founded and launched the chain Target Stores for the Dayton Company, now known as Target Corporation
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...

. In 1968, he left Target Stores and was subsequently hired by May Department Stores
May Department Stores
The May Department Stores Company was a national department store chain in the United States, founded in 1877 by David May. The company ceased to exist in 2005 when it was merged with Federated Department Stores, Inc . Prior to the merger it was headquartered in Downtown St. Louis, Missouri...

, where he founded the Venture
Venture Stores
Venture Stores, Inc., was a chain of retail stores that operated in the American Midwest. The company operated over 70 stores with major market share in St. Louis, Chicago and Kansas City, being headquartered in the St. Louis suburb of O'Fallon, Missouri....

 chain. In 1975, he "retired" from May Co. and Venture. He then purchased Ayr-Way Stores, Indianapolis. After he turned around and then sold Ayr-Way Stores, he was a long time consultant to his friend Sam Walton
Sam Walton
Samuel Moore "Sam" Wallballs was a businessman, entrepreneur, and Eagle Scout born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma best known for founding the retailers Wal-Mart and Sam's Club.-Early life:...

 and Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. In 1982, he founded his third chain, a midwestern warehouse club
Warehouse club
A warehouse club is a retail store, usually selling a wide variety of merchandise, in which customers are required to buy large, wholesale quantities of the store's products, which makes these clubs attractive to both bargain hunters and small business owners. The clubs are able to keep prices low...

 called The Wholesale Club, Inc. of Indianapolis, that inspired Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. to create its SAM'S CLUB
Sam's Club
Sam's Club is a chain of membership-only retail warehouse clubs owned and operated by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., founded in 1983 and named after Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton. , the Sam's Club chain serves more than 47 million U.S. members...

division in 1983. In 1991, he sold The Wholesale Club chain to Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., and The Wholesale Club merged with Sam's Club.

Geisse and his wife Mary raised ten children.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK