Kayser-Roth Corporation (a subsidiary of ) is an

underwear Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...

and

hosiery Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as h ...

manufacturer based in

Greensboro Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. The company currently markets three owned brands in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, No Nonsense, Hue and Burlington.

History

Julius Kayser & Co., the predecessor to the modern Kayser-Roth Corporation, was founded in the early 20th century by

Julius Kayser Julius Kayser (1838–1920) was an American businessman and founder of The Julius Kayser Company (now Kayser-Roth). Biography Slaner was born to a Jewish family in New York City, the son of immigrants from Germany. His family moved to Hornell, N ...

and was a manufacturer of

lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...

and

gloves A glove is a garment covering the hand. Gloves usually have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb. If there is an opening but no (or a short) covering sheath for each finger they are called fingerless gloves. Fingerless glov ...

. In 1958, the company purchased the

Chester H. Roth Chester H. Roth (April 13, 1902 – July 26, 1977) was an American businessman who founded the Chester H. Roth Company and served as president and CEO of its successor Kayser-Roth Corporation. Biography Roth was raised in a Jewish family in New Y ...

Company, forming Kayser-Roth.

Alfred P. Slaner Alfred P. Slaner (April 10, 1918 – March 14, 1996) was an American businessman and one-time president of the Kayser-Roth, Kayser-Roth Corporation. Biography Slaner was born to a American Jews, Jewish family in Hobart, Oklahoma. His father was ...

, the first head of the merged company, developed Supp-Hose hosiery. In 1968, a merger with

Penn Central Transportation Company The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American class I railroad that operated from 1968 to 1976. Penn Central combined three traditional corporate rivals (the Pennsylvania, New York Central and the ...

was explored, however terms could not be agreed. In 1973, in order to compete with the L'eggs brand (currently owned by

HanesBrands Hanesbrands Inc. is an American multinational clothing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It employs 65,300 people internationally. On September 6, 2006, the company and several brands were spun off by the Sara Lee Corporation. Han ...

), Kayser-Roth launched No Nonsense, which was one of the first brands of hosiery to be sold in

supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. This kind of store is larger and has a wider selection than earli ...

drugstore A pharmacy (also called "drugstore" in American English or "community pharmacy" or "chemist" in Commonwealth English, or rarely, apothecary) is a retail shop which provides pharmaceutical drugs, among other products. At the pharmacy, a pharmacis ...

s and

discount department 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 Logistics, distribution to kee ...

s. In 1975 Kayser-Roth was purchased by conglomerate

Gulf+Western Gulf and Western Industries, Inc. (stylized as Gulf+Western) was an American conglomerate. Originally, the company focused on manufacturing and resource extraction. Beginning in 1966, and continuing throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the company ...

. In the years under Gulf+Western's ownership, improvements were made to Canadian manufacturing plants, most notably in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

and

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. Forays into diverse markets such as the automotive industry were carried out. During the late-1970s and early-1980s almost every GM automobile produced had Kayser-Roth components on board. In 1985 Gulf+Western began divesting all of its non-entertainment enterprises, with Kayser-Roth being sold to the Wickes Companies. In 1993, the Mexican hosiery manufacturer Grupo Synkro purchased the company for approximately $230 million. In 1999, Italian Golden Lady, the largest hosiery manufacturer in Europe, acquired Kayser-Roth Corporation from Grupo Synkro and reorganized the company. During the 2000s, the No Nonsense brand expanded to include

bra A bra, short for brassiere or brassière (, or ; ), is a form-fitting undergarment that is primarily used to support and cover breasts. It can serve a range of other practical and aesthetic purposes, including enhancing or reducing the appear ...

panties Panties (in American English; also called pants, undies, or knickers in British English) are a form of women's underwear. Panties can be form-fitting or loose. Typical components include an elastic waistband, a crotch panel to cover the genita ...

sleepwear Nightwear – also called sleepwear, or nightclothes – is clothing designed to be worn while sleeping. The style of nightwear worn may vary with the seasons, with warmer styles being worn in colder conditions and vice versa. Some styles ...

sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

s for women and men, and foot comfort products. In April 2011, Kayser-Roth partnered to become an exclusive distributor of socks and hosiery for

Jockey International Jockey International, Inc. is an American manufacturer and retailer of underwear, sleepwear, and sportswear for men, women, and children. The company is based in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Jockey invented the first men's Y-Front brief in 1934 and is a ...

. Today, Kayser-Roth products are featured on the television show ''

Gossip Girl ''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six sea ...

'' (2007-2012) and have also previously been showcased on '' The View'' (1997-).

References

External links

Kayser-Roth
{{Lingerie American companies established in 1958 Clothing companies of the United States Hosiery brands Lingerie brands Underwear brands Companies based in Greensboro, North Carolina Clothing companies established in 1958 1958 establishments in North Carolina Gulf and Western Industries 1975 mergers and acquisitions 1985 mergers and acquisitions 1993 mergers and acquisitions 1999 mergers and acquisitions