Harry B. Cunningham (1907 in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

– November 11, 1992 in

North Palm Beach North Palm Beach is an incorporated village in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami Metropolitan Area. The population was 13,162 at the 2020 census. The village won an award from the National Association of Home Bui ...

, Florida) was an American businessman and retailer who founded

Kmart Kmart Corporation ( , doing business as Kmart and stylized as kmart) is an American retail company that owns a chain of big box department stores. The company is headquartered in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, United States. The company was inc ...

in 1962, along with S. S. Kresge. Cunningham had a vision to convert the

retail chain A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate the retail and dining markets and many service categories, in many pa ...

into a

discounter 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 ...

. At the time, Cunningham was sharply criticized by some, including Kresge shareholders, as possibly destroying the company. The success of Kmart proved his vision. He was president of the company from 1959 to 1972, having joined the retailer as an assistant store manager in 1930. Cunningham was credited by

Sam Walton Samuel Moore Walton (March 29, 1918 – April 5, 1992) was an American business magnate best known for founding the retailers Walmart and Sam's Club, which he started in 1962 and 1983 respectively. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. grew to be the world's l ...

as being the first to design a discount store. Walton added that Cunningham should be remembered as one of the leading retailers of all time.''Sam Walton: Made in America'', John Huey & Sam Walton (1993), Cunningham and Walton both visited, and were impressed by, the early and innovative discounter

Ann & Hope Ann & Hope was a Rhode Island–based retailer that pioneered practices now common in modern big box stores. The company was named after the ship ''Ann and Hope'' which was lost at sea off Block Island, Rhode Island in 1806. They operated from 19 ...

in Cumberland, Rhode Island.

References

External links

20th Century Great American Business Leaders

Chicago tribune obituary

New York Times obituary
br /> 1907 births 1992 deaths American businesspeople in retailing 20th-century American businesspeople Businesspeople from Pennsylvania Kmart People from North Palm Beach, Florida {{US-business-bio-1900s-stub