Burlington Coat Factory Enters Tough Market

Do you remember what is like when you first starting your family? Or can you imagine what it will be like trying to start one in this economy? Well, when Mrs. Don Dees and I were newlyweds, uhh, a few years back, we remember fondly shopping at Burlington Coat Factory. They had cheap, but good quality, crap at a good price. Just what the valued oriented shopper is looking for, which was the case for us back then; still is I guess.

So when we recently heard that Burlington Coat Factory was going to open a few stores in Puerto Rico, it brought back fond memories. Although I'm sure this has been in the making for years, I think they are entering a tough market at the worst time in the last 40 years. With stiff competition from WalMart, K-Mart, Marshalls, Sears, and recently JC Penneys, they will face an uphill battle.

Not only that, this will be the first locations outside of the U.S. mainland for the Burlington, New Jersey-based company which operates 383 stores in 44 states. Which means they need to understand the cultural translation of their marketing very quickly.

According to them, they are an “off-price” discount retailer, which offers a wide selection of current season, high quality, brand name and designer merchandise at prices up to 60% lower than those at other department stores. Hmm, that's a pretty bold claim when they are stacked up against WalMart, the king of cheap crap.

Together the local stores will feature apparel, shoes and accessories for the entire family, baby clothes, furniture, toys, home decor items, and gifts, as well as a selection of its signature coats. One of the first stores is scheduled to replace the old Pueblo Xtra in Plaza Centro Mall in Caguas. Right now, there is no word of when the first store is scheduled to open.