Careers Business Ownership Learn About the Oldest U.S. Retailers Still in Business Print Cristina Arias/Getty Images Business Ownership Industries Retail Small Business Restauranting Real Estate Nonprofit Organizations Landlords Import/Export Business Freelancing & Consulting Franchises Food & Beverage Event Planning eBay E-commerce Construction Operations & Success Becoming an Owner By Barbara Farfan Barbara Farfan University of Georgia Barbara Farfan is a retail industry expert with more than 20 years as a business consultant for the retail and publishing industries. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on 07/22/19 Some people may measure being a success in business by the length of time a company has been in operation. You might find it difficult to name the oldest U.S. retailing or restaurant company off the top of your head, or guess the year that retailing company was founded, or even which century. Brooks Brothers Oldest U.S. Men's Clothing Retailer Brooks Brothers is the oldest U.S. retail industry company that is still doing business today. The company was founded only 42 years after the United States itself was born. The first Brooks Brothers store opened April 7, 1818, on Cherry Street in New York City. At the time, the name of the retail clothier was H. and D.H. Brooks and Company. Struggling Survivors One might assume that the oldest retail chains still in business in the U.S. are also the best retailers because they have been able to stand the test of time. That is true to a certain degree. However, in the 21st century, some of the oldest legacy retail giants that were founded in the 19th century like Sears, J.C. Penney, and Abercrombie and Fitch are today struggling to remain relevant in a fast-moving global retailing environment that continues to constantly redefine itself. A look at a complete timeline for the founding dates of the largest companies in the U.S. retail industry reveals that many legacy retail giants are struggling today, which indicates they could be weighted down by their own history. A Chronological Listing The chronological index of the 19th, 20th, and 21st-century retail founding dates offer some interesting insights, and you never know when you might need some filler conversation at a cocktail party or a mall outing. The following is a list of the largest U.S. retail chains and the dates they were founded. Afterward, you'll find the retail industry companies founded in the 20th and 21st century. The list is arranged chronologically according to the founding dates for each retail company. U.S. Retail and Restaurants Companies Founded in the 1800s 1818 - Brooks Brothers 1826 - Lord & Taylor 1858 - Macy’s 1859 - The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company 1861 - Bloomingdales 1867 - Saks Fifth Avenue 1865 - Carters 1866 - Mobil 1866 - Sherwin-Williams 1867 - Stage Stores (Uhlman’s) 1870 - Exxon (Standard Oil) 1872 - Montgomery Ward 1872 - Roundy's Supermarkets 1873 - Barnes & Noble 1876 - AT&T 1876 - Chevron 1878 - Foot Locker 1881 - Target 1883 - The Kroger Co. 1888 - Belk 1888 - Sears, Roebuck & Co. 1892 - Abercrombie & Fitch 1892 - Shell 1898 - Bon-Ton Stores 1899 - Kmart Corp. The Age of Global Retail Much of the U.S. retail industry is still fairly recent compared to the rest of the world. Of all the U.S. retailing companies that are still doing business today, a vast majority of them weren't founded until the 20th and 21st century. Compared to global retailing legends like Sotheby's in London, which is creeping up on its 300th birthday, even the oldest U.S. retail chains are in their infancy, or at least their toddlerhood. Still, six of the largest retailing companies in the world were founded in the U.S. more than 100 years ago and are still doing business both inside and outside of American borders. When Size Does Not Equal Age Many people wrongly believe that since Walmart is the largest U.S. retail chain it must also be the oldest U.S. retailing company. In fact, Walmart is a relatively young company and wasn't founded by Sam Walton until 1950. Walmart's youth is nothing compared to two retailing companies that have disrupted and transformed traditional retailing on a global level in the past decade. Amazon sold its first product from its online store in July 1995 and Apple opened its first Apple retail store in May 2001. Viewing a timeline of retail and restaurant companies founded in the 1900's and 2000's reveals how much can be accomplished by a retailing company on a mission in a very short period of time. Some of the today's most valuable retail brands didn't even exist in the U.S. 50 years ago. U.S. Company Foundings in the 1900s and 2000s Nordstrom, Walgreens, JCPenney, the Ford Motor Company, H.E. Butt Grocery Company, and Neiman Marcus were all founded in the early 20th century and are still alive and retailing today. This list is arranged chronologically by founding dates and years of each individual company. U.S. Retail and Restaurant Companies Founded in the 1900s 1901 - Duckwall-ALCO (Filed Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in 2014 - final store closing in 2015) 1901 - Nordstrom 1901 - Walgreens 1902 - JC Penney 1903 - Ford Motor Company 1905 - H.E. Butt Grocery Company (H-E-B) 1907 - Neiman Marcus U.S. Retail and Restaurant Companies Founded in the 1910s 1915 - Safeway1916 - Wegmans Food Markets U.S. Retail and Restaurant Companies Founded in the 1920s 1921 - Lowe's 1921 - RadioShack 1922 - CVS 1923 - Walt Disney Corporation 1924 - Burlington Coat Factory 1925 - NAPA Auto Parts 1925 - Winn-Dixie Stores 1926 - SuperValu U.S. Retail and Restaurant Companies Founded in the 1930s 1930 - Hy-Vee1930 - Publix1931 - Giant Eagle1932 - Advance Auto Parts1933 - The Golub Corp. Price Chopper Supermarkets1934 - Meijer1934 - Race Trac Petroleum1935 - Raley's1936 - Ruddick Corp. / Harris Teeter1936 - Stater Brothers Holdings1938 - Dillard's1939 - Albertson's1939 - Dollar General U.S. Retail and Restaurant Companies Founded in the 1940s 1941 - Carl’s Jr.1947 - Fred’s1947 - Shoney's1948 - Buckle Clothing Stores1948 - Dick's Sporting Goods1949 - Circuit City1949 - Signet Jewelers U.S. Retail and Restaurant Companies Founded in the 1950s 1950 - Dunkin’ Donuts 1950 - Walmart 1952 - Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) 1952 - Save Mart Supermarkets 1952 - Sheetz 1953 - Denny's 1954 - Jerry’s Subs & Pizza 1956 - Sbarro 1956 - TJX 1956 - Williams-Sonoma 1957 - O'Reilly Automotive 1957 - Ross Stores 1957 - Toys 'R Us 1958 - Perkins Restaurant & Bakery 1958 - Pizza Hut 1958 - QuikTrip 1959 - Family Dollar 1959 - Little Caesar’s Pizza U.S. Retail and Restaurant Companies Founded in the 1960s 1961 - Hardee's1962 - Kohl's1962 - Menard1962 - Taco Bell1962 - Western Sizzlin1963 - CVS Caremark1963 - Limited Brands1964 - Del Taco1964 - Hudle House1964 - WaWA1965 - Kwik Trip1966 - Best Buy1967 - Big Lots1967 - WinCo Foods1968 - Casey's General Stores1968 - Rite Aid1969 - The Gap1969 - Wendy’s U.S. Retail and Restaurant Companies Founded in the 1970s 1971 - Bed Bath and Beyond1971 - Borders1971 - Starbucks Coffee1973 - Golden Corral1973 - Hungry Howie’s Pizza1975 - El Pollo Loco1975 - The Pantry1976 - Apple1976 - Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop1976 - The Coffee Beanery1976 - Gymboree1977 - American Eagle Outfitters1978 - Marco’s Pizza1978 - Zumiez1979 - AutoZone1979 - Home Depot1979 - Planet Sub U.S. Retail and Restaurant Companies Founded in the 1980s 1980 - Fuddruckers 1980 - Whole Foods 1981 - Papa Murphy's 1982 - Maui Wowi Hawaiian Coffees & Smoothies 1982 - Ruby’s Diner 1983 - Costco 1983 - Jimmy John’s Sandwich Shops 1984 - BJ's Wholesale Club 1984 - Dell 1984 - GameStop 1984 - Michaels Stores 1985 - Blockbuster 1986 - Buffalo Wings & Rings 1986 - Dollar Tree 1986 - Five Guys 1986 - Johnny Rockets 1986 - Office Depot 1986 - PetSmart 1986 - Staples 1988 - Batteries Plus 1988 - OfficeMax 1988 - Street Corner 1989 - McAlister’s Deli 1988 - Stage Stores U.S. Retail and Restaurant Companies Founded in the 1990s 1991 - Liberty Media (QVC) 1991 - Wayback Burgers 1992 - Pancheros Mexican Grill 1994 - Amazon.com 1994 - Firehouse Subs 1994 - Wings Etc. 1994 - Wingstop Restaurants 1995 - Hurricane Grill & Wings 1999 - Edible Arrangements 1999 - Panera Bread 1999 - ShakeAway U.S. Retail and Restaurant Companies Founded in the 2000s 2002 - Chronic Tacos2002 - WineStyles Tasting Station2005 - Jersey Boardwalk Pizza2008 - Kona Ice2008 - America’s Taco Shop U.S. Retail and Restaurant Companies Founded in the 2010s 2010 - Forever Yogurt