VF Outlets
VF Outlets was the factory-store business founded in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1970 that effectively invented the outlet mall; its stores passed to Kontoor Brands in 2019 and were closed or converted to Lee and Wrangler clearance centers around 2020-2021.
Company Snapshot
- Status
- Closed - the VF Outlet stores were closed or converted to Lee/Wrangler clearance centers under Kontoor Brands around 2020-2021; the flagship Reading store closed December 24, 2020
- Type
- Former outlet retail division - part of VF Corporation until 2019, then of Kontoor Brands (NYSE: KTB)
- Headquarters
- Reading, Pennsylvania, United States (the original and flagship outlet center)
- Founded
- 1970, in Reading, Pennsylvania
Company Profile
No stores trade as VF Outlets today. The business this page describes - factory stores selling VF brands at discounts, in more than 70 locations at its directory-era height and 79 stores in 31 states as of June 2015 - ended with Kontoor Brands' post-spin-off store review: the Reading flagship closed on December 24, 2020, and the surviving locations trade, where they remain open, as Lee/Wrangler Outlet and Clearance Centers. The disclaimer below points to Kontoor Brands, the chain's last owner.
With more than 70 locations nationwide, VF Outlets offered consumers great discounts on brands like Lee, Wrangler, Nautica and JanSport, and a wide selection of jeans, sportswear, outdoor products and children's apparel. VF Outlets was part of VF: VF Corp is a multi-billion dollar apparel powerhouse, with an incredibly diverse, international portfolio of fashion brands and products that reach consumers wherever they choose to shop.
A Short History Note
The outlet industry starts here. In 1970, at the suggestion of M. O. Lee, then president of VF Corporation, surplus products from VF sources including Berkshire International and Vanity Fair were sold to the public from a 5,000-square-foot factory store in Reading, Pennsylvania, separated from the manufacturing floor by a drop cloth. In doing so, VF created a brand-new retail industry: the outlet mall. The Reading center, in Vanity Fair's old knitting mills, was dubbed the 'Outlet Capital of the World'; as of June 2015 the chain operated 79 stores in 31 states, and an e-commerce store had launched in October 2013.
The end came with the corporate split. The VF Outlet business moved to Kontoor Brands when Kontoor was spun off from VF in May 2019, and Kontoor then shrank the fleet: the flagship Reading store closed on December 24, 2020, some sixty stores closed with it, and about twenty locations were transitioned into Lee/Wrangler Outlet and Clearance Centers. The vfoutlet.com site no longer lists any VF Outlet stores, so this page is kept as the chain's record; as a retailer that has closed, it carries no marketplace shop box, and the disclaimer below points to Kontoor Brands, its last owner.
Common Questions
Are VF Outlet stores still open?
No. The VF Outlet business passed to Kontoor Brands in the May 2019 spin-off, and Kontoor closed most stores around 2020 - the flagship Reading, Pennsylvania store closed December 24, 2020 - converting about twenty locations into Lee/Wrangler Outlet and Clearance Centers. No stores operate under the VF Outlet name today.
Where was the first VF Outlet?
In Reading, Pennsylvania, where a 5,000-square-foot factory store opened in 1970 in Vanity Fair's mill buildings, selling surplus Berkshire International and Vanity Fair products. It is widely credited as the first modern outlet center, and Reading became known as the Outlet Capital of the World.
Who owned VF Outlets last?
Kontoor Brands (NYSE: KTB), the Lee and Wrangler company spun off from VF Corporation in May 2019. VF had run the outlets from their 1970 founding until the spin-off.
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