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Bradlees was a chain of discount department stores, which operated primarily in the Northeastern United States. The chain went bankrupt in 2000 and all of its stores were closed by March 2001. ==History== Bradlees was named for Bradley International Airport, where early planning meetings were held by the store's founders.〔International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 12; Tina Grant, editor; St. James Press; Detroit; 1996; p. 48〕 The first store was opened in New London, Connecticut in 1958. The company was acquired by grocery chain Stop & Shop in 1961, which owned the chain until 1992. In the New York/New Jersey area, nearly all shopping centers that had Bradlees stores would also have a Stop & Shop in the same plaza or, in some cases, connected with the store as a supercenter, but this ended when Stop & Shop pulled out of the New York market during the 1980s (not to return until 2000 when Royal Ahold bought the company and rebranded its Edwards chain as Stop & Shop). Like some of its competition, including Caldor, many Bradlees stores had snack stands/lunch counters that served soft drinks, hot dogs, french fries, soft pretzels, ice cream, prepackaged cookies and various other food items to shoppers. Theoretically one could have gone to these stores with the sole intention of eating, but in practice almost no one did this, preferring the higher quality food and broader selection they could find at a dedicated food establishment. In 1993, Bradlees added Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Dunkin' Donuts items to some of the stores that didn't have snack stands as well as new stores constructed during this time. During the 1970s and early 1980s (and again in the late 1990s), Bradlees was known for its TV and print ads featuring the character "Mrs. B." (played by actress Cynthia Harris), depicted as the chain's buyer, who constantly searched for bargains to pass on to her customers.〔(Bradlees Home Sale (1996) - YouTube )〕 The advertising jingle went, "At Bradlees, you buy what Mrs. B buys. And nobody can buy like Mrs. B." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bradlees」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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