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Replacements, Ltd., based in Greensboro, North Carolina, is the world's largest retailer of china, crystal and silverware, including both patterns still available from manufactures and discontinued patterns. The company, which began in 1981, had an inventory in 2011 of 14 million items from more than 340,000 patterns, with annual sales of $80 million to 10 million customers.〔"Business Spotlight: Replacements Ltd.," ''Greensboro News & Record'', March 27, 2011.〕 == History == In 1981, Bob Page left his job as an auditor for the state of North Carolina to start a mail-order business selling antique china and glassware. Located first in his attic and then in 400 square feet on North Elm Street in Greensboro, North Carolina, Page's business included merchandise from flea markets and customer requests on index cards. In four years, the company went from $159,000 a year to nearly $4 million in sales. The company moved several times, each time to larger space, at Bessemer Avenue, Holbrook Street, and Gallimore Dairy Road.〔〔Jack Scism, "Replacements Ltd.: A Small Business Success Story," ''Greensboro News & Record'', May 11, 1992.〕 In 1989, sales were over $9 million, and the company added flatware, also buying its current location on Knox Road in McLeansville.〔 In October 1990, Replacements moved its 1-million-item inventory to the new headquarters/warehouse.〔"NCNB Earnings Down 60 Percent from 1989," ''Greensboro News & Record'', October 18, 1990.〕 One of the company's services was researching patterns based on photos and rubbings. Buyers also searched for items in patterns that were hard to find, with sources including gift shops and jewelry stores that were closing. The company restored flatware, but china restoration was done only for items to be sold. Inventory ranged from "glasses given out for filling up at the gas station" to Flora Danica.〔〔 By 1993 Replacements had made small additions to its new site, which totalled 104,000 square feet, and the company planned a 120,000-square-foot expansion.〔Jack Scism, "Firm Expands Without Waiting for Painter Plan," ''Greensboro News & Record'', March 5, 1993.〕 In 1999, The Pfaltzgraff Co. made an agreement with Replacements for the company to sell its patterns which were no longer available. This included a list of customers who might want to replace items with the old patterns. Replacements made a similar deal with JCPenney.〔Peter Krouse, "Replacements Ltd. Makes Deal to Handle Orders for Company," ''Greensboro News & Record'', July 3, 1999.〕 In December 2005, Replacements announced plans to expand from 230,000 to 500,000 square feet on 21 acres at a cost of $8 million, including a relocation of Knox Road. Once the project was completed, the company would no longer need to rent a nearby warehouse.〔Andrea Griffith, "Replacements announces expansion of Knox Road location," ''Greensboro News & Record'', December 28, 2005.〕 In January 2006 the city of Greensboro annexed the land where the company was located, though its mailing address remained McLeansville. By this time, half of the company's orders came through its web site. Sales were $75 million, nearly two thirds of that china, one sixth flatware, and one eighth crystal.〔Michelle Jarboe, "One Dream, 25 years: Thousands of patterns," ''Greensboro News & Record'', March 14, 2006.〕 On August 12, 2008, the company announced plans to increase the size of its headquarters by about 500,000 square feet at a cost of $15 million, putting around 550 employees and 12 million items in one location, down from four.〔Lanita Withers, "Replacements plans big expansion," ''Greensboro News & Record'', August 13, 2008.〕 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「Replacements, Ltd.」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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