The month of May gives the U.S. retail industry plenty of reasons to celebrate, as notable May first and births helped to shape U.S. retail history in significant ways. The first membership retail store in the U.S. - E.J. Korvette - opened on May 26, 1948. The world's first Apple retail store opened on May 19, 2001. And the world's largest convenience store, Buc-ee's, was opened in New Braunfels, Texas on May 7, 2012.
A few more of the largest U.S. retail chains got their start in May because that's the month their founders were born. Burger King's co-founder James McLamore, and Bob Evans Restaurants' namesake founder Bob Evans were both born in May. And even though it didn't start out as a retailing company, the retail industry today can also celebrate the May birthday of Nike's co-founder Bill Bowerman, as well as the anniversary of the renaming of BRS Inc. to Nike, Inc. on May 30, 1978.
Even though Nike still markets its products mainly through other people's retail operations, its presence in the retail industry is not insignificant, and its way of doing business is not unnoticed.
Nike announced this month that it is banding together with some of the largest U.S. retail chains like Target, Gap, Walgreens, and Lowes to share intelligence information in an effort to stop cyber crime. After the Target Black Friday security breach disaster, it's obvious why that company would want to do anything and everything to prevent cyber crime. But there have been no massive security breach incidents reported by Nike retail stores, so the Nike leaders are apparently taking proactive steps to protect its retail and online customers.
This is in alignment with Nike's consistently high ranking on the annual Best Retail Corporate Citizens list. In 2014, the employee relations, environmental impact, human rights, philanthropy, and governance of Nike helped the company to secure a #19 ranking, compared with the top 100 companies from all industries that are considered to be the best corporate citizens in the U.S.
This high ranking also seems to be in alignment with co-founder Bowerman, who, in his 24 years as a track and field coach, won four NCAA track and field championships while coaching 19 Olympic athletes and 44 all-American track stars. Bowerman is a man who had obvious and enviable success in both sports and business and the philosophy that drove that success can be found in some of the most classic Bill Bowerman quotable quotes.
Happy Birthday to Bill, to the Nike name, and to all the beginnings that helped made the U.S. retail industry what it is today.
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U.S. Retail Industry Has Reasons to Celebrate in May - Retail Firsts and Retail Births in Largest U.S. Retail Chains Shaped U.S. Retail History (NKE) originally appeared on About.com Retail Industry on Saturday, May 31st, 2014 at 22:49:48.
