Melville Corporation

[1] In February 1930 the Melville Shoe Corporation controlled 460 Thom McAn, Rival, and John Ward stores in thirty-nine of the United States.

[2] At its peak, Melville operated over 7,282 retail stores in approximately 3,500 unique locations, providing a wide range of products.

In April 1976, the Melville Corporation acquired Marshalls, a chain of thirty-two specialty stores, based in New England.

[3] Melville was one of the first companies in the world to develop a shared-services satellite communications network, consolidating the infrastructure of all of its discrete divisions, resulting in significant cost savings for the corporation.

[citation needed] Beginning in the early 1990s, Melville was under pressure to reorganize and shed its diverse portfolio.