Consumers Distributing: Difference between revisions

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{{refimprove|date=May 2019}}

{{Infobox company

| name = Consumers Distributing

| logo = Consumers Distributing logo.jpgsvg

| logo_size = 300

| type = [[Private company|Private]] (1957–1969)<br>[[Public company|Public]] (1969–1996)

| industry = [[Catalog merchant|Catalogue store]]

| fate = Filed for [[bankruptcy]]

| foundation = 1957

| founder = Jack Stupp

| defunct = 1996

| location_city = 6303 Airport Road<br>[[Mississauga]], [[Ontario]]

| location_country = [[Canada]]

| locations = 243 ([[Canada]])<br>217 ([[United States]])

| key_people = Jack Stupp ([[President (corporate title)|President]])

| products = Seasonal goods, jewellery, appliances, kitchenware, personal care, discount furniture, electronics, toys

| parent = [[Oshawa Group]] (1969–1987)<br>[[Provigo]] (1987–1993)<br>[[Ackermans & van Haaren]] (1993–1996)

| website =

}}

'''Consumers Distributing''' (known in [[Quebec]] as '''Distribution aux Consommateurs''', and informally as '''Consumers''') was a [[catalog merchant|catalogue store]] in [[Canada]] and the [[United States]] that operated from 1957 to 1996. At its peak, the company operated 243 outlets in Canada and 217 in the United States; these included stores in every province in Canada and in the states of [[New Hampshire]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Connecticut]], [[New York (state)|New York]], [[New Jersey]], [[Pennsylvania]], [[Maryland]], [[California]] and [[Nevada]].

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==History==

The first Consumers Distributing store was opened in 1957 by Jack Stupp and Sydney Druckman in [[Toronto]]. The company was taken public in 1969. In 1978, [[Oshawa Group]] sold the 50% interest it had acquired.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/the-oshawa-group-limited-company-history.html|title=History of THE OSHAWA GROUP LIMITED – FundingUniverse|author=|date=|website=www.fundinguniverse.com}}</ref> In 1988, revenues topped $1- billion.<ref name="woes">{{cite news |title=Woes hit reborn Consumers Distributing |url=https://www.thestar.com/business/2013/01/11/woes_hit_reborn_consumers_distributing.html |first=Francine |last=Kopun |newspaper=[[Toronto Star]] |date=January 11, 2013 |accessdate=December 11, 2017}}</ref>

Consumers Distributing purchased the 42-store Cardinal Distributors catalogue chain from [[Steinberg's (supermarket)|Steinberg Inc.]] and the 70-store American chain Consumers from [[The May Department Stores Company|May Department Stores]], bringing its total store count to approximately 400 in 1981.<ref name="citizen">[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2194&dat=19811118&id=2a4yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=5-4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1164,5107737 ''Ottawa Citizen'', 18 November 1981] "600 to lose jobs as Bay closes Shop-Rite stores"</ref>

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American competition was mainly from the catalogue showroom retail store chains [[Best Products]] (also known simply as Best) and [[Service Merchandise]]. Both Best Products and Service Merchandise ultimately declared bankruptcy and ceased operations.

[[Argos (retailer)|Argos]], which was modelled on the format of Consumers Distributing, continues to exist in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

==Business model issues and attempts to address them==

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==Further reading==

*{{cite web|url=https://www.tvo.org/article/what-happened-to-consumers-distributing|title=What happened to Consumers Distributing?|last=Bradburn|first=Jamie|publisher=[[TVO]]|date=21 December 2023|access-date=23 December 2023}}

==External links==

{{Commonscatinline}}

[[Category:Catalog showrooms]]