Bealls, Bradenton’s largest employer, remains shut down by the coronavirus pandemic
The Bradenton area’s largest employer, Bealls, and its 500 stores around the country, remained closed this week, more than a month into its response to the coronavirus pandemi .
Asked this week about layoffs or furloughs, Bealls CEO Matt Beall declined to offers specifics.
“Things are changing so fast that it would be difficult to comment on a few of your questions,” said Beall in an email. Beall took the reins as the fourth CEO in the company’s history in late 2019.
“Our focus is on the safety of our employees and the communities which we serve. I’m not aware of any of our employees testing positive for the virus. We are very eager to get our stores back open. We have implemented a ton of safety, cleanliness and sanitation best practices and we will be an extremely safe place to be when we reopen,” Beall said in the email.
Bealls’ brands include Bealls Inc., BeallsFlorida.com, Bealls Outlet, Burkes Outlet, and Bunulu. Bealls specializes in casual lifestyle apparel and merchandise.
Bealls has its corporate headquarters and distribution center in Bradenton. Prior to the pandemic, it was the largest company in Bradenton with 2,041 employees, according to the Bradenton Area Economic Development Corp.
On April 9, Bealls offered a COVD-19 update on its website:
“All Bealls Stores locations continue to be temporarily closed. We remain open and ready to serve you online at BeallsFlorida.com. We will continue to work safely and efficiently to ensure orders are fulfilled in a timely manner. We have proudly served our communities for 105 years and have been witness to many historical challenges during that time. During all of these and today we remain focused on serving our communities, associates and you our guests. We will keep you updated when we begin to open stores. Thank you for your loyalty. We wish you continued good health and look forward to seeing you soon,” the company said.
Bealls is one of the few Bradenton companies to experience two pandemics.
Founded in 1915 by 22-year-old Robert M. Beall as The Dollar Limit dry goods store in Bradentown — as the town was known then — the young company survived the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed between 17 million and 100 million people worldwide.
Pre-coronavirus pandemic employment at other large companies in the Bradenton area include IMG Academy with 1,000 employees, Tropicana Products Inc. with 900 employees, Sun Hydraulics with 718 employees, and Feld Entertainment with 600 employees, according to the EDC.
On the same day that Bealls announced it was closing its stores, Feld Entertainment announced that it was shutting down its touring shows and laying off hundreds of associates. A number of Feld associates later reached out to the Bradenton Herald and said they weren’t furloughed, they were terminated.
In March, boat manufacturer Chris-Craft, with more than 300 employees, shut down its operations due to the pandemic.
Sun Hydraulics, 1500 West University Parkway, had to suspend operations for a few days after one of its employees tested positive for COVID-19.
The company, a designer and manufacturer of high-performance screw-in hydraulic cartridge valves and manifolds, reopened April 7 after being shutdown for four days for extensive cleaning, spacing, and other measures to keep associates safe.
The consumer demand for orange juice made the citrus industry one of the rare segments of the economy that seemed to be performing well during the pandemic.
“Yes, things are full steam ahead at Tropicana. We’re working diligently to ensure we meet increased consumer demand for our products during this unprecedented time. This includes hiring more front-line employees to help make, move and sell Tropicana,” the Herald reported a spokeswoman saying in an email on March 25.
