The Cato Corporation is an American retailer of women's fashions and accessories. The company is headquartered in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. As of January 2016, the company operated 1,372 stores under the names Cato, Cato Plus, It's Fashion, It's Fashion Metro and Versona.

History

In 1946, the company founder, Wayland Cato, left United Merchants to launch his own business with his son, Wayland Henry Cato, Jr., and Edgar Thomas. The company went public in 1968, took itself private in 1980, then went public again in 1987. The company averted bankruptcy in the early 1990s after adopting a new discount pricing strategy and updated merchandise. Cato stores are typically located in strip malls anchored by a national discounter like

Walmart 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 ...

Store divisions

* Cato and Cato Plus—Junior, misses and plus sizes * It's Fashion—Juniors, and Plus size * It's Fashion Metro—Larger It's Fashion stores that also include clothing for men, big and tall men, infants and toddlers * Versona -- "Exclusive" apparel and accessories Cato and Cato Plus, Spalding Village

References

External links

Official Cato websiteOfficial Versona website
{{Authority control Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange Clothing retailers of the United States Companies based in Charlotte, North Carolina American companies established in 1946 Retail companies established in 1946 1946 establishments in North Carolina 1960s initial public offerings 1980s initial public offerings