Dillard's (NYSE: DDS) is a major department store chain in the United States, with 329 stores in 29 states as of 2005. Its locations are concentrated in the South, particularly Texas, Louisiana, and Florida.

History

It is the outgrowth of a Nashville, Arkansas department store founded in 1938 by William Dillard; its corporate headquarters remain located in Little Rock and many of its executives and directors are members of the Dillard family.

Dillard sold the Nashville store to develop a larger one in Texarkana, Arkansas in 1948, and opened a second store in Tyler, Texas in 1956. Thereafter the chain grew rapidly as an anchor in suburban shopping malls, and took advantage of market conditions to acquire smaller chains as well as its ability to turnaround locations that other companies could not operate profitably.

The chain continues to expand, and has recently begun adding stores in nontraditional shopping centers: its largest store at 350,000 square feet (33,000 m²) is located at Scottsdale Fashion Square in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Dillard's store credit cards are issued by GE Money Bank. The cards were orginally issued by Dillard National Bank which was a wholly owned subsidiary of Dillard's before being sold to GE Money Bank.

Dillard's now offer Dillard's American Express cards. These cards can be used at any store that accepts American Express.

Discrimination complaints and lawsuits have plagued Dillard's for years, as minority women and men accuse the company of complacency and even systematic endorsement of racial profiling toward customers.