Howard Brothers Discount Stores (informally known as Howard Brothers and Howard's) was a

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A c ...

discount store A discount store or discounter offers a retail format in which products are sold at prices that are in principle lower than an actual or supposed "full retail price". Discounters rely on bulk purchasing and efficient distribution to keep down cost ...

s in the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

. The chain was founded in 1959 by

Alton Hardy Howard Alton Hardy Howard (March 28, 1925 – October 29, 2006) was a businessman, author, and a gospel songwriter from West Monroe in Ouachita Parish in northeastern Louisiana. Background Howard was the sixth of seven children born in the Rocky Bra ...

and W. L. "Jack" Howard, a five-term mayor of

Monroe, Louisiana Monroe (historically french: Poste-du-Ouachita) is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and parish seat of Ouachita Parish. With a 2020 census-tabulated population of 47,702, it is the principal city of the Monroe metropolita ...

. The Howards were an early franchisee of

Gibson's Discount Center Gibson's Discount Center, also known as Gibson's, was a large discount store chain in the United States. There are a few Gibson's Discount Centers still operating under independent ownership; two in Texas in Weatherford and Kerrville, and two in ...

, but they later pulled out of the franchise agreement and opened stores under their own name. In 1969, the company became a publicly traded company. In 1978, the then 78-store chain was purchased by

Gamble-Skogmo Gamble-Skogmo Inc. was a conglomerate of retail chains and other businesses that was headquartered in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Business operated or franchised by Gamble-Skogmo included Gambles hardware and auto supply stores, Woman's World an ...

, which later merged with Wickes Companies. It had stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas, as well as the Howards's native Louisiana. The HBD management attempted a buyout in 1986, but was unsuccessful. After the stores under their own name were liquidated, the Howard brothers started a new chain of wholesale warehouse stores under the name Super Saver. At least 21 stores were opened before the chain was sold to

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

References

External links

1982 bankruptcy announcement

1984 announcement of comeback strategy

1986 announcement of management buyout attempt

Alton Howard's obituary
Defunct discount stores of the United States Retail companies established in 1959 Retail companies disestablished in 1986 Howard family (Louisiana) {{US-retail-company-stub