Business: Montgomery Ward Stores | TIME

TIME

February 20, 1928 12:00 AM GMT-5

Many a U. S. town too small to belong to the Kiwanis International is large enough to have its own luncheon club of town merchants. Many such clubs look with alarm at the entrance of the first Atlantic & Pacific Tea store, the first Woolworth or the first Liggett. Alarm among luncheon club members increased last week when they learned that there was another invasion to fear. Montgomery Ward & Co., Chicago, announced that within a year a chain of 150 retail stores would be in operation under their name.

Anticipating anxiety in the minds of small town luncheon club members Montgomery Ward’s president, George B. Everett, explained: “No attempt is made (in the 50 Montgomery Ward stores already operating) to overshadow the local merchants. Our experience has been that wherever we have located, local merchants have benefited. . . .”

Waiving chain store rivals, President Everett told of the wares of his chain stores: “We are selling in our chain stores merchandise that is not handled in a national way by any other concern” (tires, beds, radios, stoves, sporting goods).

But Montgomery Ward will by no means discontinue its mail order business. President Everett continued: “These stores will supplement our mail order business. We find that when more people become acquainted with our company through our local stores, mail order volume actually increases in these areas.”

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