# Identifying Mfg. by RN Number



## Speas (Mar 11, 2004)

This may be old news for some of you, but with this FTC site you can identify the manufacturer of a clothing item by the RN number. I have a particular Andover Shop shirt that I like enough to search out another and used this to learn that it was made by Gitman (RN 63620).

https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/TextileRN/wrnquery$.startup

I'd guess that this could be used to identify the maker of most private label items.


----------



## Speas (Mar 11, 2004)

I checked another Andover shirt that I dont like nearly as well and it is a different maker - Fall River Shirt Company (79513).

Sorry about the link text - not sure how to fix it.


----------



## marlinspike (Jun 4, 2007)

Umm...my BB Select shirts are made by a clothing company for women under 5'4" called Petite Sophisticate...weird.


----------



## Joe Tradly (Jan 21, 2006)

M'spike, I've always considered you rather sophisticated.

JB


----------



## Untilted (Mar 30, 2006)

my butteryellow shetland crewneck from BB last year also came from:

CASUAL CORNER GROUP, INC. PETITE SOPHISTICATE & CO

"Parent company RBA has agreed to sell the Casual Corner Group to Gordon Brothers in order to focus on its Brooks Brothers business. Casual Corner was put up for sale in mid-2004 for a price tag of $250 to $300 million."


----------



## marlinspike (Jun 4, 2007)

Ok, cleared it up. Petite Sophisticate is owned by the Retail Brand Alliance, which also owns BB.


----------



## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

I think several of the former RBA group of retailers, including BB, used to use the same distribution facility in Clinton, NC, some 25? miles north of the Garland, NC BB clearance store. It could be it is only BB now. No, there's no outlet there.

Last year I used the RN link to try to uncover a maker. Got an address for some entity and the address turned out to be a Synagogue. ??


----------



## jamgood (Feb 8, 2006)

Speas said:


> This may be old news for some of you, but with this FTC site you can identify the manufacturer of a clothing item by the RN number. I have a particular Andover Shop shirt that I like enough to search out another and used this to learn that it was made by Gitman (RN 63620).
> 
> https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/TextileRN/wrnquery$.startup
> 
> I'd guess that this could be used to identify the maker of most private label items.


^TJ Maxx and Marshalls will sometimes have their own RN number in a rare private labelled Scottish made cashmere sweater or Italian made silk tie by well known brand makers. When sold in a Maxx/Marshalls, sometimes the well known brand will have an RN number that traces back to Maxx. The maker unloads excess or keeps production up without diluting its own brand. Several brands of silk neckties made by Intermoda of Como, Italy www.intermoda.com/eng/contact.html are to be found in Maxx/Marshalls with a factory sewn RN75343. And who is RN75343?: Newton Buying Corp. Newton is the buying arm of Maxx/Marshalls, based in Framingham, MA.

https://www.ftc.gov/bcp/rn/index.shtml > RN Database Search (same thing as Mr. S's link above)


----------



## Northeastern (Feb 11, 2007)

jamgood said:


> Newton Buying Corp. Newton is the buying arm of Maxx/Marshalls, based in Framingham, MA.


NBC is the old TJ Maxx name back when the company was owned by Zayre, it sticks around still. You may find "Marshalls of MA" also, which traces back to when Marshalls was its own chain before the 1990's. Other TJX names include Concord Buying (which is A.J. Wright, but you likely won't find much there as few forum dwellers would buy something there.) For those of you looking for towels and sheets Lexington Buying is the Homegoods buying company.


----------



## paper clip (May 15, 2006)

Northeastern said:


> NBC is the old TJ Maxx name back when the company was owned by Zayre, it sticks around still. You may find "Marshalls of MA" also, which traces back to when Marshalls was its own chain before the 1990's. Other TJX names include Concord Buying (which is A.J. Wright, but you likely won't find much there as few forum dwellers would buy something there.) For those of you looking for towels and sheets Lexington Buying is the Homegoods buying company.


Wow - Zayre! There's a blast from the past. I bought many an Atari cartridge the Woburn, MA location!


----------



## Northeastern (Feb 11, 2007)

paper clip said:


> Wow - Zayre! There's a blast from the past. I bought many an Atari cartridge the Woburn, MA location!


Yep, Zayre. T.J. Maxx was founded as a division of Zayre when the Feldberg's told Ben Cammaratta to create a store concept based on the successful off price women's chain Hit or Miss. Zayre wanted what amounted to a "Hit or Miss" on steroids, 30,000 square feet of clothing primarily for Career Women, but also with some selections for men and children. Once the chain took off, home furnishings and accessories were added.

Marshalls, on the other hand, was designed for the whole family and spent most of its history as an independent department store chain. Once absorbed by TJX, as the company became known once Zayre went belly up, the focus shifted to off price merchandise with a more general mix than TJ Maxx. That's why the women's sections are so much larger in TJ Maxx than Marshalls, though something like 88% of the merchandise is shared between the two chains.

This history of off price retail is brought to you buy my early lunch break.


----------

