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Like Diamonds? Zales Jewelers Online

The history of the Zales Jewelers company started in the 1920s by the Morris and William Zale brothers. They had a vision to provide customers with quality merchandise jewelry at the lowest possible base price. This vision became a reality when the first Zales Jewelers store opened in Wichita Falls, Texas in March 29, 1924. Even though Wichita Falls, Texas is the home of Sheppard Air Force Base & Midwestern State University, it will always be known for opening the first Zales Jewelers store.

With a credit plan of "a penny down and a dollar a week," the Zale brothers launched a marketing strategy considered to be revolutionary at the time, and thus made jewelry and other merchandise affordable to the average working American. Friendly customer service, liberal credit policies, and a force of dedicated employees led to great success and expansion, with 12 stores throughout Oklahoma and Texas by 1941.

During World War II, Zales Jewelers responded to the limited production of consumer goods by maintaining its current prices on jewelry, limiting expenses, and looking for growth opportunities. These efforts were rewarded in 1944 with the acquisition of Corrigan's of Houston, Zales first "carriage trade" fine jewelry store, whose purchase eventually launched the Bailey Banks & Biddle brand. In 1946, Zales Jewelers moved its headquarters from Wichita Falls to Dallas, Texas. The corporate offices were housed in the Mercantile Bank Building, the first of several locations. The Zales brothers and company continued to prosper and in 1952, a profit sharing plan was introduced to all Zales employees.

Zales Jewelers took major steps in 1957 to broaden its reach in the marketplace. The first shopping center location was opened, marking a major shift from its strategy of operating only downtown local stores. The same year, Zales announced the initial public offering of its stock (ZLC) and then began trading its public shares on the American Stock Exchange the following year in 1958.

In 1984, Zale Corporation unveiled its newest acquisition of the 890 carat "Incomparable Diamond," the largest internally flawless diamond in the world. The next year, Zales moved its world headquarters into a 430,000-square-foot complex in Irving, Texas, its current location. The company's history was significantly altered with the 1986 leveraged buyout of Zale Corporation by Peoples Jewellers of Canada and Swarovski International of Austria. Expansion continued, however, with the purchase in 1989 of the Gordon's Jewelers chain of 469 stores.

The 1990s marked another critical turning point for the corporation when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1992. The following year, the company emerged from bankruptcy after restructuring its debt. Five years later, 1998 became the "breakaway year" for Zale with annual sales that topped over a billion dollars. During its tremendous turnaround year, the company showed profit in all four quarters for the first time since the reorganization. That same year, Zales Outlet was launched, giving the corporation 13 locations in premier outlet centers in the United States of America. Expansion again became the primary growth strategy with two major acquisitions, Peoples Jewellers of Canada in 1999 and Piercing Pagoda, Inc. in 2000. Zales Corporation's business units include Zales Jewelers, Zales Fine Jewelry Outlet, Gordon's Jewelers, Bailey Banks & Biddle Fine Jewelers, Peoples Jewellers, Mappins Jewellers and Piercing Pagoda.

Today, Zales Corporation is North America's largest specialty retailer of fine jewelry. Zales now operates over 2,300 retail locations throughout the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico as well as through the Internet at zales.com. Zales.com offers free shipping (2 Day FedEx) to U.S. Street Addresses on orders of $199 or more and they also ship to APO/FPO military addresses.

How did you find out about The DHS Club?
Affiliate Program on Zales.com's homepage

What do you like about The DHS Club?
Earn Reward Points on all Zales online purchases in the ClubShop Online Shopping Mall.

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