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What's Next For Boscov's After Retail Titan's Death

Carolyn Kaster
/
AP
Al Boscov is photographed during an interview at his Boscov's department store in Reading, Pa., Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008.

Albert Boscov was the public face of a department store chain he built from a single corner store in downtown Reading, Pennsylvania, to a regional powerhouse with locations in seven states and more than $1 billion in annual sales.

After his death Friday at age 87, Boscov leaves behind a chain with devoted customers and a tremendous amount of civic goodwill. But the century-old company still faces the headwinds that are buffeting the industry. Analysts say Boscov's long-term prospects are uncertain.

Few department stores have been more closely identified with their owners than Boscov's was with Albert Boscov, a cheerful executive who roamed the store aisles and was intimately familiar with his merchandise.

His nephew, who took over as CEO in 2015, says Boscov's will remain in the family.