Filene's Basement

Filene's Basement, also called The Basement, was a Massachusetts-based chain of department stores which was owned by Retail Ventures, Inc. until April 2009 when it was sold to Syms. The oldest off-price retailer in the United States, Filene's Basement focused on high-end goods and was known for its distinctive, low-technology automatic markdown system. As of late 2006, the company operated stores in metropolitan areas in eight U.S. states and Washington, D.C. and used a 470,000-square-foot (44,000 m) distribution center in Auburn, Massachusetts. The store's name was derived from the subterranean location of its flagship store, in the basement of the former Filene's department store at Downtown Crossing in Boston, Massachusetts. The...