Lands' End - Fashion Company Profile
Lands' End is the Dodgeville, Wisconsin clothing company founded by Gary Comer in 1963, famous for its catalog, its guarantee and its misplaced apostrophe - a public company (NASDAQ: LE) since its 2014 spin-off from Sears.
Company Snapshot
- Status
- Operating
- Public or Private
- Public (NASDAQ: LE) - independent since Sears Holdings spun it off in April 2014
- Headquarters
- Dodgeville, Wisconsin, United States
- Founded
- 1963, in Chicago, Illinois, by Gary Comer - as a mail-order sailboat equipment company
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Company Profile
Lands' End sells clothing, swimwear, outerwear, footwear and home goods online, through its own stores and through third-party marketplaces; in March 2025 its board announced it was exploring strategic alternatives for the company. The catalog family, the early web-pioneer years, the Sears chapter (2002-2014) and the January 2015 summary in the company's own words are kept on the history page.
The move to Wisconsin is explained as a matter of place and people. When the founders learned enough to spread their wings, they moved the company to the little town of Dodgeville in rural Wisconsin, mainly because Gary Comer fell in love with the gently rolling hills, woods and cornfields - and because of the remarkable community they joined, the sons and daughters of farmers, described as hard-working people who might milk a cow or two before coming to work. The direct method itself is stated as arithmetic: as a direct merchant, Lands' End works directly with mills and manufacturers, eliminating the markups of middlemen, and passes the savings to customers who shop from home or office by phone, mail, fax or Web, shipping directly to customers virtually anywhere in the world.
Lands' End History
The earlier record for this company - its history, past brand line-ups, figures and photographs from the periods described - is kept on a separate page for historical reference.
Lands' End History & Historical Profile →Common Questions
Is Lands' End part of Sears?
No - Sears bought Lands' End in 2002 but spun it off in April 2014; Lands' End has traded independently on NASDAQ (LE) since then.
Where is Lands' End headquartered?
Dodgeville, Wisconsin, at 1 Lands' End Lane - the company moved from Chicago to Wisconsin beginning in 1978.
Why is the apostrophe in Lands' End in the wrong place?
It was a typographical error in the first promotional materials that founder Gary Comer could not afford to reprint - so the name stayed.
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References & Further Reading
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