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*Retail Stores - Sells "premium" Eddie Bauer merchandise *Outlet Stores - Sells Eddie Bauer merchandise and inventory overstocks at value or clearance price points *Direct Order Center - Sells Eddie Bauer merchandise through call centers in Saint John, New Brunswick, and Groveport, Ohio, and the website (EddieBauer.com) The company was first established in 1920 in Seattle by Pacific Northwest outdoorsman, Eddie Bauer (1899 - 1986). In 1940 Bauer patented the first quilted down jacket. He went on to patent numerous other designs and was the first independent company that the United States Army hired and allowed to use a logo on the Army-issued uniform. Bauer retired and sold the company in 1968. General Mills bought Eddie Bauer in 1971, and Spiegel bought it from General Mills in 1988. In 2003, Spiegel, Inc., entered bankruptcy. The Spiegel catalog and all other assets were sold, except for Eddie Bauer. In May 2005, Spiegel, Inc., emerged from bankruptcy under the name "Eddie Bauer Holdings" and owned primarily by Commerzbank. In addition to the three sales channels the company operates a distribution and fulfillment center in Groveport, Ohio; an IT facility in Westmont, Illinois; and a distribution center in Vaughan, Ontario. Eddie Bauer is also a minority participant in joint venture operations in Japan and Germany that include retail stores, catalogs, and websites. The company also selectively licenses the Eddie Bauer brand name and logo for various products sold through other companies including eyewear, furniture, bicycles, and, up until the 2010 model year, upper level versions of Ford Motor Company's Explorer, Expedition and Excursion SUVs. Eddie Bauer's flagship store is in Bellevue's Bellevue Square mall. A Midwest Flagship opened in August 2010 at Easton Town Center in Columbus, Ohio. Eddie Bauer Holdings, Inc., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware on June 17, 2009. |
