Oct. 29, 2009 (Business Wire) -- The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: BONT) is pleased to report that customers and associates donated approximately 5.2 million articles of gently used clothing and home textile items during its semi-annual Goodwill® Sale event, which was held September 16 – 30. Goodwill will sell the donations in the communities where they were collected and the revenues will go to support job training to assist individuals in achieving economic stability.
Goodwill expects the donations to generate $12- $15 million in revenues. Eighty-four percent of Goodwill’s revenues are directed into employment placement services and other supportive services for people who have disabilities, lack education or job experience or face employment challenges.
“The Goodwill Sale is a great benefit to our customers and our communities,” said Bud Bergren, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. “We want to thank everyone who donated this season. The Goodwill Sale exemplifies our commitment to the communities in which we operate.”
“Partnerships such as the Goodwill Sale engage people in a way that helps Goodwill expand and enhance its career programs in the community,” said Jim Gibbons, President and Chief Executive Officer of Goodwill Industries International. “We are grateful that Bon-Ton holds this event each season to help individuals in its local communities become self-sufficient.”
The Goodwill Sale event is just one of the ongoing charitable partnerships that the company has developed on a local level. Look for more exciting cause-marketing promotions as Bon-Ton continues to be an active and positive participant in the communities that it serves. In addition to offering customers a great shopping experience, The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. also supports its communities by promoting and raising money and awareness for non-profit organizations. Through these partnerships, Bon-Ton touches customers in all of its communities as well as their friends and family members who benefit from these organizations.
ABOUT BON-TON STORES, INC.
The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. operates 279 stores, including 12 furniture galleries, in 23 states in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great Plains under the Bon-Ton, Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s and Younkers nameplates and, under the Parisian nameplate, stores in the Detroit, MI area. The stores offer a broad assortment of brand-name fashion apparel and accessories for women, men and children, as well as cosmetics and home furnishings. Visit www.bonton.com for more information.
ABOUT GOODWILL INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL
Goodwill Industries International is one of North America’s most recognized nonprofit organizations and a leading social services enterprise with a network of 183 community-based, independent agencies in the United States, Canada and 14 other countries. Each organization serves people who have disabilities, lack education or job experience or face employment challenges. To find a local Goodwill® store, use the online locator at www.goodwill.org or call (800) 664-6577.
