page_title: The Bon-Ton
section_title: Operations in 2000s
hierarchical_section_title: The Bon-Ton / History / Operations in 2000s
caption_attribution_description: English: South Mall in Allentown and Salisbury Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
context_page_description: Bon-Ton Holdings Inc. is an American online retailer and former department store chain founded in 1898. After rapid expansion in the 1990s and early 2000s, the original company had financial troubles, ultimately filing for bankruptcy in 2018 before being sold and liquidated. In September 2018, its new owner began operating as an online retailer headquartered in Merrillville, Indiana, with plans to open brick and mortar locations. Other brands operated by The Bon-Ton are Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson's, Elder-Beerman, Herberger's, and Younkers.
context_section_description: In October 2003, The Bon-Ton expanded its reach into Ohio and the lower Midwest with the acquisition of the 69-store Elder-Beerman store chain.  Following an attempt to convert to a privately held company, Elder-Beerman was offered more cash for its outstanding stock as part of the buyout.  The chain operated as a separate banner until the company's demise in 2018.
  On November 25, 2003, Bon-Ton reported a net loss in the third quarter of $1.7 million, or $0.11 per share, including an asset impairment charge of $0.10 per share.
  The Bon-Ton Stores chain doubled in size in November 2005 with the $1.1 billion purchase of the 142 stores of Saks' Northern Department Store Group, headquartered in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Corporate headquarters remained in York, Pennsylvania, but merchandising headquarters were relocated to Milwaukee. As with the Elder-Beerman acquisition, no store names were changed in the transaction. The newly acquired store group included Carson Pirie Scott (later branded as Carson's), Bergner's, Boston Store, Herberger's, and Younkers.
  In September 2006, The Bon-Ton purchased four former Parisian stores (plus one under construction) from Belk (which had just purchased the chain); the stores were located in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio (outside Belk's traditional operating territory). The stores in Indiana and Ohio were immediately rebranded to Carson Pirie Scott and Elder-Beerman, respectively. The three Michigan stores maintained the Parisian name until 2013, when they were rebranded to Carson's.
caption: Bon-Ton store at the South Mall in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a former Hess's South
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