Under the Lord family, 1826–1916 Birdcage restaurant in 1948 English-born
Samuel Lord started a
dry goods business in
New York City in 1824 and opened the original store that would become Lord & Taylor in 1826, on Catherine Street in what is now
Two Bridges, Manhattan. The shop stocked hosiery, misses' wear, and cashmere shawls. His wife's cousin, George Washington Taylor, joined in 1834, and the store was named Lord & Taylor. Lord & Taylor faced economic troubles after the
Panic of 1873, though the original partners gave the company "a large loan" in 1879. By 1894, the company was fast-growing and would open stores on
Fifth Avenue in 1903 and 1906. The
Lord & Taylor Building, the
Starrett & van Vleck-designed
Fifth Avenue store opened between 38th and 39th streets on February 24, 1914. It touted many modern improvements, including an electric delivery vehicle garage; elevator and hidden conveyor systems for moving goods, people, showcases, and trash, and for loading and unloading trucks; and an on-site electrical generation and heating system. The Broadway store was quickly sold after the new store opened on March 26. The new store became a
New York City Landmark on October 30, 2007. Lord & Taylor announced in November 1915 that it would sell off its wholesale business.
Under Associated Dry Goods, 1916–1986 store in
Boca Raton, Florida, in 2019 A founding unit of
Associated Dry Goods, Lord & Taylor was considered to be its
crown jewel. In 1945,
Dorothy Shaver became the first woman to head a major retail establishment in the United States as president of Lord & Taylor. As vice president working with the well-known design firm of
Raymond Loewy Associates, she opened what is credited as the first-ever branch store, in
Manhasset, New York. Unlike earlier forays into the suburbs that consisted of smaller boutique-style shops, this merchandising effort became the model for modern suburban shopping. The store consisted of 66 individual shops. Lord & Taylor's relationship with Raymond Loewy Associates continued until 1969, following the construction of the
Stamford, Connecticut store (designed by Loewy Vice President
Andrew Geller). Many of Lord & Taylor's special services, including personal shoppers, were introduced while Shaver presided. During this period she introduced the Andrew Geller handwritten logo and the American Beauty Rose as icons of the store. Shaver died in 1959. William J. Lippincott was elected chairman and chief executive in 1972. His obituary in
The New York Times read: "In his years as president and chairman, Lord & Taylor moved beyond its traditional territory in the northeast to open stores in Atlanta, Houston, and Dallas and four stores in Illinois." A management shakeup ousted him in 1976. Under the leadership of CEO Joseph E. Brooks during the 1970s, the company aggressively expanded into
Texas,
Illinois, and
Michigan; throughout the 1980s,
South Florida saw 11 stores opened in quick succession.
Under May Department Stores Company, 1986–2005 When the
May Company acquired ADG in 1986, it was assumed that May bought it just for the luxury division. The chain partially withdrew from the oil-shocked Texas and southern Florida markets in 1989–1990 after its 1986 acquisition by May. Under May, the upscale
Hahne & Co.,
Wanamaker's, and
Woodward & Lothrop chains were repositioned and converted into Lord & Taylor.
Jane T. Elfers became Lord & Taylor's second female president in June 2000. Former
Neiman Marcus executive, Brendan Hoffman replaced her in October 2008, when Elfer's contract had expired. A third female president,
Bonnie Brooks, took over in 2011, and a fourth female president, Liz Rodbell, took over in 2013. flagship store on
Fifth Avenue in 2008
Federated Department Stores acquired May Department Stores in 2005. On January 12, 2006, Federated chairman, president, and CEO
Terry Lundgren announced that Lord & Taylor would be sold by the end of the year. Federated announced on March 10, 2006, that six Lord & Taylor locations would be sold or downscale into Macy's. The legendary Center City, Philadelphia store, the former flagship of the
John Wanamaker chain, opened after a one-month renovation as
Macy's City Center on August 1, 2006.
Under NRDC Equity Partners, 2006–2008 On June 22, 2006,
NRDC Equity Partners, LLC announced it would purchase Lord & Taylor for $1.2 billion after Federated converted and sold the previously announced locations; the sale was completed in October 2006. Federated continued to service Lord & Taylor consumer credit accounts in an agreement with NRDC under the terms of its sale until mid-2007.
Under Hudson's Bay Company, 2008–2019 at 424
Fifth Avenue On July 16, 2008,
NRDC Equity Partners announced that it had purchased the 338-year-old
Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) for an undisclosed price and positioned Lord & Taylor as a subsidiary under HBC. The combined HBC, as of February 2017, consisted of Lord & Taylor and
Saks Fifth Avenue in the United States, the online luxury fashion retailer
Gilt,
Hudson's Bay and
Home Outfitters in Canada, and
Galeria Kaufhof in Germany. The
Fifth Avenue flagship store received a $150 million ($ in ) update in 2010. In 2011, an ultra-modern concept store opened in Westchester County at the new
Ridge Hill Mall. During this time, locations such as
Manhasset,
Garden City,
Bala Cynwyd,
Eastchester, and
Stamford all saw ultra-modern style renovations and upgrades. In 2012, a large outpost opened at
The Mall at Rockingham Park. In 2013, a contemporary-style outpost opened at
Mizner Park in
Boca Raton, Florida. In 2014, a contemporary outpost, modeled after the Boca Raton location, opened at
Crossgates Mall near
Albany, NY. Around this time, a store was announced to open alongside
Saks Fifth Avenue in the luxury wing of the
American Dream Mall. In 2015, Lord & Taylor launched Design Lab, a line of apparel for women aged 18 to 35. The advertising campaign, which concentrated on a single dress, made extensive use of social media, including a paid article in
Nylon and posts on
Instagram by fashion
influencers who were paid for their posts and had received the dress for free. The advertised dress sold out, however the campaign was investigated by the
Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In 2016, Lord & Taylor agreed to a settlement with the FTC which stated that it is "prohibited from misrepresenting paid ads as independent editorial content, and it must clearly disclose when fashion influencers have received some form of compensation for their endorsement". In October 2017, after an attempt made to build a skyscraper above the Fifth Avenue store, it was announced the building would be sold in a joint venture to
WeWork for $850 million ($ in ). WeWork was set to occupy the uppermost floors of the building, with the rest remaining a newly updated flagship for Lord & Taylor. In February 2019, the sale completed for $725 million ($ in ) in cash and the remainder in equity, forming a joint venture with Lord & Taylor as a non-controlling interest. Analysts linked the decision to growing pressure from activist investors and a strategic push to monetize real estate assets. In May 2018,
Walmart began offering Lord & Taylor fashions on its website as part of an effort to modernize its brand and appeal to a more upscale customer base.
Under Le Tote, 2019–2020 store in 2015 In August 2019, Hudson’s Bay Company invested in Le Tote, Inc., a fashion rental retailer. In exchange for Hudson’s Bay Company gaining a 25% equity stake in the newly formed joint venture, Le Tote acquired operational control of Lord & Taylor, a Hudson’s Bay Company subsidiary, for $75 million in cash at closing and an additional $25 million payable two years later. Le Tote retained ownership of the stores’ inventory, valued at approximately $213.2 million, while Hudson’s Bay Company maintained ownership of Lord & Taylor’s substantial and valuable real estate portfolio. As part of the agreement, Hudson’s Bay Company committed to covering store lease obligations for at least three years, at an estimated cost of $58 million per year. The joint venture with Le Tote was finalized in November 2019.
Response to the COVID-19 pandemic store on
Long Island in 2020 Lord & Taylor's stores were forced to close due to
executive state orders by the local and
state governments on non-essential
retail by Wednesday, March 18, 2020, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. While it took some time for the locations to reopen to the
public, some of its closed U.S. stores were looted following the
murder of George Floyd. Lord & Taylor began the process of reopening on Friday, May 15, 2020, with two of its locations in
Florida and
New Hampshire allowed to reopen. All stores resumed operations by July 3, 2020. On August 2, 2020, Lord & Taylor and
Le Tote had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. On August 27, Lord & Taylor revealed plans to close all of its brick-and-mortar operations after almost 200 years while reportedly simultaneously soliciting bids for its
Le Tote and Lord & Taylor businesses. On October 15, 2020, the investment firm Saadia Group announced it would acquire Lord & Taylor.
Digital-first retailing In October 2020, the investment firm Saadia Group acquired Lord & Taylor; they transitioned the retailer into a digital-first format. In fall 2022, an ad campaign called "Fall Fete" debuted alongside a new logo. In 2024, Regal Brands Global acquired Lord & Taylor with the intention of continuing its digital retail approach. ==Logos==