Bealls
Careers at Bealls
MISSION
Bealls Inc (“Bealls”) aims to offer consumers high quality products at affordable prices across its network of retail outlets, and to establish itself as a leading operator of retail outlets in its operating markets.
FOUNDING STORY
Bealls traces its roots back to 1915, when Robert M. Beall opened a small dry goods store in Bradentown, Florida.
The store initially operated under the brand name Dollar Limit, pricing none of its products over a single dollar.
Dollar Limit found significant success during the 1920s, in 1924 moving its business into a new brick and mortar premises located close to the town’s court house.
Owing to the financial crash of 1929, Robert M. Beall accrued significant debt and ultimately lost his store to the bank. He was, however, allowed to stay on as manager.
Robert M. Beall ultimately regained his business in 1944. Following the end of World War Two, Bealls continued to grow, opening a second store in 1956, and a third in 1962, by which time the business’ sales were exceeding USD 1 million annually.
Bealls began operating off-price outlets in the 1980s under the Bealls Outlet brand, which expanded rapidly.
The Company has since added the specialty Bunulu brand and homeware Home Centric brand to its portfolio.
Today, Bealls operates more than 500 retail stores across the southern and eastern United States with annual sales of over USD 1 billion.
Business model of Bealls
Customer Segments
Bealls serves a broad consumer base, including customers across all ages and income levels.
The Company’s various brands, however, are targeted at slightly different demographics:
- Bealls Stores targets the general consumer population, offering a range of products including apparel, homegoods, and luggage to a full spectrum of consumer demographics;
- Bealls Outlet offers lower priced goods aimed at lower income consumers and working families, dedicated to providing value for money;
- Home Centric offers homewear and furnishings targeted at middle and higher income households, selling products from around the world; and
- Bunulu offers products designed for active consumers who enjoy the outdoors.
Bealls is headquartered in Florida, but serves customers across the southern and eastern United States. The Company does not appear to have any significant international operations.
Value Propositions
Bealls provides value to its customers in the following ways:
- History and Reputation – Bealls has an established reputation as a reliable and affordable retailer with a track record in its operating markets that dates back as far as the early twentieth century;
- Brand Portfolio – Bealls operates a large network of stores under the Bealls Stores, Bealls Outlets, Bunulu, and Home Centric brands, ensuring that it is able to offer an extensive range of products to a broad consumer base;
- Price and Value – Bealls has built a reputation on offering products at low process, employing specialist buying teams to ensure that its customers are provided excellent value for money;
- Regional Reach – Bealls operates a network of more than 500 stores across its home market of Florida, as well as across the southern and eastern United States, including in Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, and Kentucky; and
- Customer Service – Bealls seeks to provide its customers with excellent customer service, encouraging its personnel to offer friendly and useful advice and guidance to customers across its various brands.
Channels
Bealls serves its customer base directly via its network of retail outlets across the southern and eastern United States.
The Company currently operates more than 500 stores in the US under its Bealls Stores, Bealls Outlets, Bunulu, and Home Centric brands.
This notably includes 70 of the Company’s Bealls Stores outlets in Florida alone.
In addition to its numerous physical retail locations, Bealls also operates an online store at www.beallsflorida.com, through which customers are able to browse and purchase a full range of products across its apparel, shoes, homeware, and accessories product ranges.
Bealls’ retail online and offline retail operations are supported by the Company’s distribution and logistics infrastructure, including storage facilities and distribution centres.
Customer Relationships
Bealls primarily provides services directly to its customers. The Company’s in-store sales personnel interact personally with customers to assist in their shopping experience, responding to queries, handling complaints, and providing guidance.
The company seeks to encourage recurring business from its customers by providing high quality products at reasonable prices, supported by excellent customer service.
The Company also seeks to secure repeat business by offering various deals, discounts, and special offers
As noted above, Bealls operates an online store at www.beallsflorida.com, through which customers can browse products, make purchases, and arrange deliveries on a self-service basis.
The Company also offers a membership service which can be accessed online and enables customers to access members-only benefits and deals.
Bealls additionally operates individual websites for each of its brands, through which it provides customers with more brand-specific information concerning products and locations.
Bealls operates a dedicated customer support team, which operates out of the company’s offices and provides personalised support to customers over the phone and online.
The company is also able to communicate directly with customers through its various social media accounts, including with LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Key Activities
Bealls is an American operator of retail outlets under the Bealls Stores, Bealls Outlets, Bunulu, and Home Centric brands.
Through its subsidiaries, the Company owns and operates more than 500 retail outlets across Florida and the southern and eastern United States, including a presence in Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, and Kentucky.
The Company also operates an online store. Under its various brands, the Company sells apparel, jewellery, home furnishings, active wear, and luggage to consumers across all demographics.
Bealls was founded in 1915 and continues to be owned by members of the Beall family. The Company remains headquartered in Bradenton, Florida.
Key Partners
Bealls works closely with a range of partner companies and organisations to ensure that it provides its customers with a good retail experience.
These partners can be organised broadly into the following categories:
- Supplier and Vendor Partners, comprising suppliers, merchandisers, and wholesalers that provide the Company with products to be sold across its outlets, as well as third party providers of services that support the Company’s corporate operations more broadly;
- Distribution and Logistics Partners, comprising logistics companies that support the Company’s storage, warehousing, and distribution operations across its operating markets in the southern and eastern United States;
- Affiliate and Marketing Partners, comprising various website and commercial enterprises that assist in marketing Bealls’ products online and offline to ensure that its reaches the largest possible customer base;
- Community and Social Responsibility Partners, comprising a range of non-profits and charitable organisations with which the Company collaborates on social and community projects across the United States; and
- Strategic Partners, comprising various other businesses and organisations with which the Company collaborates on joint business development projects.
Bealls has agreed a number of partnerships in recent years. This includes tie-ups with South Eastern Guide Digs, Zebra Technologies, the Florida Recycling Partnership, and Alliance Data.
Key Resources
The success of Bealls’ business model is dependent on its ability to efficiently provide customers with quality and affordable products across a variety of product ranges.
As such, the Company’s key resources are its merchandise and inventory, its supply chain and logistics infrastructure, its network of physical retail outlets, its online store and IT infrastructure, its intellectual properties – notably its brand names, its partnerships, and its personnel – in particular its buying and in-store customer service personnel.
Cost Structure
Bealls incurs costs in relation to the procurement of equipment and merchandise, the operation of its distribution and logistics infrastructure, the operation of its retail outlets and office locations – including occupancy and utility costs, the management of its partnerships, the procurement of third party services, the implementation of marketing and advertising campaigns, the development and maintenance of its IT and communications infrastructure – including the management of its online store, and the payment of salaries and benefits to its employees.
Revenue Streams
Bealls generates revenue through the operation of retail outlets across the southern and eastern United States.
The Company derives the bulk of its revenue in the form of sales fees collected at pint of sale across its Bealls Stores, Bealls Outlets, Home Centric, and Bunulu brand names.
Bealls is a privately owned company and, as such, it is not obliged to publish its financial results for consumption the public.
Company profiles estimate, however, that the Company generates annual sales in excess of USD 1 billion.
Our team
info: Steve Knopik (“Knopik”) has served as Chief Executive Officer at Bealls since 2006. He is responsible for leading the overall strategic direction of the Company and functions as its key strategic decision maker. Knopik additionally serves as an independent director at retail operator Publix Super Market Inc since April 2013. Knopik began his career in 1977, when he joined professional services company KPMG. From 1978 to 1984, he served as a senior audit manager at KPMG, before joining Bealls in 1984. Before assuming his current position, Knopik held roles of increasing responsibility at Bealls and its subsidiaries, including spells as Director of Finance and Chief Financial Officer.
info: Dan Love (“Love”) has served as President at Bealls since 2011. He is responsible for coordinating the Company’s Board of Directors and working with the Company’s executive management. Love first joined Bealls Outlet Stores Inc in 2006 as Chief Operating Officer, following which he served consecutively as Bealls’ Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President, and Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Administration. Love began his career at Hecht’s, where he held a number of financial management positions between 1986 and 1993. In 1993, he joined Macy’s Central as Chief Financial Officer, a role he held for 11 years before serving briefly as a consultant at Stratix Corporation. Prior to joining Bealls Outlet Stores Inc, Love served as Vice President of Finance and Loss Prevention at LL Bean.
info: Eric Kozlowski (“Kozlowski”) has served as Chief Merchandising Officer and Senior Vice President of Planning and Allocation at Bealls since November 2018. In this dual capacity he is responsible for overseeing the Company’s buying activities, purchasing strategies, and allocation operations. Kozlowski first joined the Company in 2016 as Divisional Vice President, following which he served as Vice President of Planning and Allocation. Kozlowski is an experienced retail executive. From 1994 to 1997 he served as Head of Merchandising at Lady Foot Locker, and from 1997 to 2007 he served as Director of Planning at Macy’s. He served briefly as Director of Planning at Loehmann’s in 2007, following he served consecutively in senior merchandising roles at Century 21 Department Stores and Rue La La. Prior to joining Bealls, Kozlowski served as Vice President of Planning and later Senior Vice President of Planning at Haddad Brands.
