The Container Store Group, Inc. is an Americanspecialty retail chain company that operates The Container Store, which offers storage and organization products. The company has made Fortune's list of "100 Best Companies to Work For" in each of the past17 years, through 2016. In February 2007, its owners announced that they were "exploring alternatives," including selling the company to private investors, in order to fund future growth. They stated that they would not sell unless they received guarantees that the corporate culture would be preserved. On July 2, 2007, the company announced that they had closed a deal with a private equity firm based in Los Angeles, Leonard Green & Partners, which obtained a majority stake.
History
Garrett Boone and Kip Tindell met while working in the paint department of Montgomery Ward. On July 1, 1978, The Container Store opened in a small, retail space in Dallas. Kip Tindell, Garrett Boone, and architect John Mullen opened a retail store offering a mix of products devoted to helping people simplify their lives. In doing so, they originated a new category of retailing. Initial cash capital was provided by Garrett, his father, and John Mullen, who were founding directors, officers and shareholders of the company. In 1999, the company bought one of its main suppliers, Elfa International, a Swedish corporation that specialized in shelving and storage units. The first store location outside Texas opened in Atlanta, Georgia in April 1991. By December 1998, the chain had grown to 18 stores in operation. In October 2000, its first New York metropolitan area store opened. As of November 2004, it had 33 locations, and reached 38 with the opening of the first Los Angeles area location in October 2006. Following the deal with Leonard Green & Partners, announced in July 2007, the company announced plans to open 29 more stores in the next five years. The first Arkansas location opened in March 2008, followed by the first Arizona location in the summer, and the first Minnesota location and second Ohio location that fall. In 2013, the retailer was one of the hottest IPO’s of 2013. However, "the Container Store is a far cry from the 300 store potential investors were promised in the IPO." Since 2013, only 30 stores were added, or about 5 per year. The company hasn’t kept its promise to investors "to be the category killer of storage containers and home organization." As of May 2016, The Container Store has 80 locations, with plans to open several stores in the following months. On May 9, the company announced that Kip Tindell would be stepping down as CEO and would be succeeded by COO and president Melissa Reiff.
