Ann Inc. is a specialty apparel retail chain that is marketed under four divisions: Ann Taylor, LOFT, Ann Taylor Factory, and LOFT Outlet.
Richard Liebeskind founded Ann Taylor when he opened the first Ann Taylor store in New Haven, Connecticut in 1954. He named the store after the name of a best-selling dress, the “Ann Taylor,” at his father’s store.
In 1977 Liebeskind sold his stores to Garfinckle, Brooks Brothers, and Miller Rhodes Corporation. Under new management the stores spread rapidly. The new flagship store on 57th street in Manhattan featured a chic restaurant and represented the Ann Taylor customer of the time: a new breed of well-dressed career women who favored classic fabrics in fashionable designs.
Throughout the 1980′s Ann Taylor changed owners several times. The company went public in 1991, trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
In 2004 the company celebrated its 50th “ANNiversary.”
Today Ann Inc. operates over 1,000 stores comprising 275 Ann Taylor stores, 105 Ann Taylor Factory stores, 525 LOFT stores, and 102 LOFT Outlet stores in 47 states, Puerto Rico, and Canada. The company has 20,000 employees and had $2.48 billion in revenue in 2012.