Ross Stores

Ross Stores, Inc., is an American chain of off-price department stores headquartered in Dublin, California, operating under the name Ross Dress for Less. It is the largest off-price retailer in the United States, though T.J. Maxx and Marshalls combined, both of which are owned by TJX Companies, would be larger together.

As of August 2015 Ross operates 1,254 locations in 33 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and Guam, covering much of the country, but with no presence in New England, New York, northern New Jersey, Alaska, and areas of the Midwest.

History

Ross Department Store was first opened in Pacifica, California, in 1950 by Morris "Morrie" Ross. Morris would work 85 hours a week doing all of the buying and bookkeeping for his department store. In 1958 Ross sold his store to become a residential and commercial real estate developer. In 1982 a group of investors, including Mervin Morris, founder of the Mervyns chain of department stores, purchased the six Ross Department Stores in San Francisco, changed the format to off-price retail units, and within three years rapidly expanded the chain to 107 stores under Stuart Moldaw and Don Rowlett. By the end of 1995 the chain reached an annual sales of $1.4 billion with 292 stores in 18 states. By 2012 Ross reached $9.7 billion for the fiscal year with 1,091 stores in 33 states with an additional 108 for Dd's Discounts in 8 states.