How a Florida retail chain competes with big brands. What’s next for the department store?

One of Florida’s largest and oldest companies, the Bealls national department store chain, is growing despite economic challenges that have changed the dynamics of retail.

Bealls started from humble beginnings on Bradenton’s Old Main Street in 1915, when 22-year-old founder Robert M. Beall opened the Dollar Limit store.

Since then, Bealls Inc. has grown to 658 stores, including Bealls Florida, bealls, Home Centric, Rugged Earth Outfitters and Reel Legends, in 23 states.

Bealls Inc. has plans to open 22 more stores this fiscal year.

The Bradenton-based company has 15,000 emplpoyees across the company. In Manatee County alone, there are 2,300 workers in its retail stores, distribution center and corporate office.

Here’s what to know about the company and the changes ahead:

Bealls is expanding

The Great Recession in 2007-2008 dealt a blow to businesses. Online retail — e-commerce — experienced a faster recovery than brick-and-mortar retail stores.

In 2020, Bealls stores were closed for a month at the height of the season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As stores cautiously reopened — usually with reduced hours and customers and staff in masks — online sales assumed increased importance.

Company President Tianne Doyle, who has been with Bealls Inc. for 31 years, says the company’s family ownership, a culture that values employees and customers, and its financial accountability are reasons for Bealls’ success.

“Bealls is an agile company. We can pivot quickly,” Doye said. “We learned to work through the pandemic. We can manage change very well because of our focus on our customers and our associates. We really care about people and want an authentic experience with our customers.”

Bealls also can compete in the marketplace and create innovative products, she said.

Bealls has opening merchandise-buying hubs in New York, California and Florida, where it is in the mix with larger retailers like TJ Maxx and Marshalls.

Doyle calls Bealls a big retail company that behaves like a little company.

“Our real secret sauce is our culture,” she said. “Since Matt Beall stepped up as CEO , we have amped up our focus on our associates and our customers.”

A fourth generation of family ownership

In 2023, Matt Beall announced a companywide rebranding. The 68 Bealls stores in Florida became Bealls Florida stores.

The company’s 600 Bealls Outlet and Burkes Outlet stores were rebranded bealls, with a lowercase “b.” The word “outlet” was dropped from the company brand to avoid misconceptions about the origin and quality of its merchandise.

The former Bealls Outlet stores were never about marked-down merchandise that hadn’t sold in the Florida Bealls stores, Beall said.

Bealls Florida stores and bealls stores each have their own buyers and each has their own brands: 30 that are exclusive to Bealls Florida stores and 20 that are exclusive to bealls stores, Beall said.

While Bealls buyers are working in the same circles as Kohl’s, TJ Maxx and Marshalls, Beall said that the company’s focus is on the homefront.

“We try to focus on ourselves, rather than our competitors. That can be distracting,” he said.

Shoppers are savvy, so Bealls continually applies innovative approaches to ensure they get the best value possible, a company spokesperson said.

Store inventory varies by store location, town and state. Inventory in a coastal Florida city would differ from that in an Ohio or Kentucky store, for instance.

“We try to get the right assortment for each store,” Beall said.

Leading the way for Bealls Inc. are the bealls stores, which account for 75% of the company’s business.

“That’s a very healthy chain and its off-price merchandise,” he said.

The 68 Florida Bealls stores have been more challenging, going back to the Great Recession. Much of the traditional value in the Florida Bealls stores has been transferred to the off-price market, Beall said.

“We are working on it. We continue to reinvest and to focus on the guest experience,” he said.

Matt Bealls’ podcasts

Matt Beall has embraced podcasting as a way to communicate professionally and personally.

His “Limitless” podcast explores a variety of topics that are of personal interest to Beall, while his “Legacy” podcast dives into a range of professional topics centered around the Beall family business.

“As we move past 650 stores in 23 states, our reach is expanding and it’s important to stay connected. Both innovation and connecting with people have been critical to Bealls’ success for decades. These podcasts are a great way for people across America to be able to connect directly with me and with Bealls,” Beall said.

“At the end of the day, people have a lot of options for where to shop. People want to understand and learn about the companies where they shop and about the individuals who operate those companies. This offers great insight into both,” he said.

Matt Beall Legacy and Matt Beall Limitless podcasts are available on YouTube, Apple and Spotify.