Who We Were

For more than a century, Marshall Field's stores have served communities throughout the Midwest. Through the years, people have turned to us for fine merchandise and service as well as for rewarding career opportunities. They've also known they can count on us to give back, since we have always believed that strong communities serve everyone well.

• At Marshall Field's stores, the guest is always first. This guest-focused approach has inspired millions of shoppers across the Midwest and beyond to look to Marshall Field's for fashion leadership, superb guest service and a commitment to community involvement.
• There are 60 Marshall Field's stores, located in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
• Approximately 25,000 team members work in Marshall Field's stores, with corporate offices in Chicago, Minneapolis and Detroit.
• When you shop at Marshall Field's, you support worthy causes in your community: projects that inspire children to read and learn, arts and cultural organizations that stimulate the imagination and health and welfare programs that strengthen the lives of children and families.

History:

The start of a new millennium seems a most appropriate time to celebrate the uniting of three great department stores under one great name. In 2001, Dayton's and Hudson's joined under the Marshall Field's banner to create a bigger, better shopping experience for the guests we've been proud to serve throughout the 19th and 20th centuries - and now the 21st century.

Minneapolis-based Dayton's was among the nation's leading department stores for nearly a century. Founded in 1902 by George Draper Dayton, the stores quickly became synonymous with quality merchandise, superior service, fashion leadership and community involvement. Before changing its name to Marshall Field's, Dayton's stores numbered 19, serving communities throughout the upper Midwest. For more than a century, Hudson's was a dominant force in Michigan retailing, with a strong reputation for fashion leadership, guest service and community involvement. In 1969, the J. L. Hudson Company merged with The Dayton Corporation to form the Dayton Hudson Corporation, adding 21 Michigan stores to the total.

In June 1990, Marshall Field's was acquired by the Department Store Division of the Dayton Hudson Corporation, now Target Corporation.

In 2004, Target and The May Department Stores Company announced the sale of the historic and respected Marshall Field's department store group, including the 62 stores serving communities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

In 2005, Federated Department Stores merged with The May Department Stores Company - combining two of the best department stores companies in America and creating a new retail company with truly national scope and presence.

From its beginnings in downtown Chicago in 1852, Marshall Field's has earned a reputation of excellence through its landmark achievements, making it one of the premier department stores in the United States. Always a leader and innovator, Marshall Field's was the first American department store to establish a European buying office, which was located in Manchester, England. It was the first to open a dining room restaurant and the first to offer a bridal registry. In addition, the store has established many lines of exclusive private-label merchandise, including our world-famous Frango® chocolates, as well as departments devoted to exquisite couture fashions, silver and jewelry.

Architecturally, the Marshall Field's Chicago State Street Store is without peer. The Tiffany Ceiling is the largest glass mosaic of its kind and the first ceiling ever built in favrile iridescent glass. The Great Clock at the corner of State and Washington streets has been keeping time for over a century and has been celebrated by American artist Norman Rockwell.

Each holiday season, Marshall Field's adds to Chicago's festivities with its lavish store window displays and internationally acclaimed Great Tree that delights young and old alike. The popular holiday traditions that have been a part of Dayton's history are continuing as Marshall Field's. The animated displays in the Minneapolis store's 12,000 sq. ft. auditorium have been a part of many families' holiday celebrations since 1963, with nearly 500,000 people viewing the auditorium show each year.