Burlington Stores, Inc.

What does Burlington own?
Burlington Stores, Inc. operates a single store brand, Burlington, across approximately 1,100 locations. It owns no separate consumer brands or banners.

Is Burlington publicly traded?
Yes. It trades on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker BURL and is a member of the S&P 500.

When was Burlington founded?
Monroe Milstein founded it in 1972 in Burlington, New Jersey, as Burlington Coat Factory. It went public in 1983, went private via Bain in 2006, and returned to public markets in 2013.

Who owns Burlington?
Public shareholders own it. Michael O'Sullivan has been CEO since 2019. Bain Capital fully exited after its leveraged buyout and the 2013 IPO.

What is Burlington's market position?
It is the third-largest US off-price retailer behind TJX and Ross, operating about 1,100 stores with a plan to more than double over time.

Is Burlington Coat Factory the same company?
Yes. The company renamed to Burlington Stores and the banner to Burlington as the business moved beyond outerwear, though the old name persists colloquially.

Monroe Milstein founded the company in 1972 in Burlington, New Jersey, as Burlington Coat Factory, initially selling outerwear from a single store. The "coat factory" name stuck for decades even as the assortment expanded into full apparel, home goods, and baby gear through the 1970s and 1980s.

The company went public in 1983, then private in 2006 through a Bain Capital leveraged buyout, then public again on the NYSE in 2013. Bain exited its stake over the following years.

O'Sullivan's tenure since 2019 produced the company's modern strategy. The "Burlington 2.0" program restructured store layouts, reduced on-floor inventory to improve shopability, and cut slower categories. Store count grew past 1,000, targeting more than 2,000 long term. The company dropped "Coat Factory" branding entirely to reflect a merchandise mix now dominated by apparel and home rather than outerwear.

FY2025 net sales approached $11 billion on continued store growth. Fiscal 2026 has shown the benefits of the operational overhaul: improved margins, better sell-through, and continued store expansion against a consumer backdrop favoring off-price value.

As a retailer, Burlington's sustainability work focuses on responsible sourcing and store operations. It publishes corporate responsibility reporting covering supplier standards, energy efficiency, and workforce practices across its store and distribution network.

The off-price model has an inherent circularity angle: buying excess inventory that might otherwise go unsold. Product-level certifications apply to the brands it sells rather than to Burlington itself.