Marshalls is one of the largest U.S. off-price family apparel and home fashion retailers, along with its sister company, TJ Maxx.

[citation needed] Contemplating the dual postwar phenomena of a boom in the economy and growth in the suburbs, Marshall and associates came upon a way to meet it profitably.

Together, they opened a self-service department store in Beverly, Massachusetts, offering apparel and homewares at low prices.

Given the volatility of the American economy in the 1970s, with recession affecting the spending habits of most shoppers, the off-price industry gathered speed.

By buying up manufacturers' post-season, overrun, and close-out stock, Marshalls was able to offer fashionable, high-quality "designer" items at prices 20 to 60 percent less than those of the department stores.

While the two offer near-identical prices and have similar store layouts, Marshalls differentiates itself by its emphasis on family footwear and larger men's and juniors departments.

[13] During the COVID-19 pandemic, Marshalls shut down all stores and suspended its online operations, closing all distribution and fulfillment centers and offices in March 2020.

[15] TJX paid US$100 million settlement in California to settle an employee class-action suit in 2002, which alleged that Marshalls abused exempt/nonexempt classifications to avoid the payment of overtime or compensation time to employees in certain roles performing non-exempt job duties, as required by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.