New York City's W.T. Grant chain began building larger units in 1960. These stores carried an expanded line of merchandise, including sporting goods, TV sets, sewing machines, home improvement items, furniture and carpeting. In February 1961, the first "house brand" appliances were introduced. 138 Grants stores now sold Bradford washing machines, dryers, freezers, refrigerators and home electronics. There was also a line of Grant Maid small appliances.
This large store concept evolved into an entirely new line of discount mart known as Grant City. Introduced in January 1973, this new generation of stores would sell the expanded product lines mentioned above. They would include a Bradford House restaurant, outdoor Garden Center and attached -or freestanding- Auto Center.
Existing Grants stores that encompassed over 50,000 square feet were converted to the Grant City format. The largest locations spanned 180,000. At the time of the conversion, there were 464 Grant City units. All stores opened after 1972 were Grant City operations.
Alas, Grants' entry into the discount mart field had been reactionary and slow, allowing competitors to gain a competitive edge. Moreover, the Grant City concept was ill-defined. Stores were of non-uniform size and layout, which confused shoppers.
Soon after the big Grant City roll-out, the once-mighty Grants chain filed for bankruptcy. Its overly-liberal credit policies had made it possible for virtually anyone who applied for credit to receive it. The company went down in -what was- the second-largest retail failure in US history. Store closings commenced in late 1974, with the final locations locking the doors on March 26, 1976.
