page_title: Younkers
section_title: Acquisitions of Brandeis and H.C. Prange
hierarchical_section_title: Younkers / History / Acquisitions of Brandeis and H.C. Prange
caption_attribution_description: English: Younkers store at Westwood Mall in Marquette, Michigan.
context_page_description: Younkers Inc. is an American online retailer and former department store chain founded as a family-run dry goods business in 1856 in Keokuk, Iowa. The retailer had evolved over more than 150 years to include a presence in locations throughout Iowa and bordering states in the Midwest region of the United States. It is pronounced yong-kers. Younkers became influential as it acquired several rivals throughout the 20th century both inside and outside of Iowa. The chain itself was sold by the late 1990s, with ownership transferring out of state, and its Des Moines-based headquarters closed by 2003 as a part of a corporate consolidation. Following its last sale in 2006, Younkers operated as a subsidiary of The Bon-Ton, with locations in seven Midwestern states, primarily in shopping malls. As of 2013 the chain operated more than fifty locations in the region. On August 29, 2018, the last 17 remaining Younkers outlets were all shut down.
  Starting on September 14, 2018, Younkers currently operates as an online retailer.
context_section_description: Younkers was operated by the Equitable of Iowa insurance company from 1979 to 1992 after being a publicly traded company since 1948. Under Equitable's ownership, Younkers acquired all 11 locations of the Omaha-based Brandeis department store chain in 1987. After returning to public ownership on the NASDAQ on April 22, 1992, Younkers purchased the 22 stores of the H.C. Prange chain in Wisconsin and Michigan.
caption: A Younkers in Marquette, Michigan which was converted from H.C. Prange
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