Rainbow Shops


Rainbow Shops, commonly referred to as just Rainbow is a privately held, moderately priced American retail apparel chain comprising several lifestyle brands primarily targeting teens and young women. The company is headquartered in East New York, NY, United States.

History

Rainbow Shops was founded in 1935 in New York City by Irving Arthur Swarzman, an Austrian native who was raised in Brooklyn. Swarzman brought his four brothers into the business as they reached working age. They built the business from one shop to a high of eighty-two stores before selling the business in the 1980s, according to Mr. Swarzman's granddaughter. Rainbow Shops is now owned by Egyptian Jewish Chehebar family. Today, along with sister brands 5-7-9 and Marianne, Rainbow operates 1,300 stores in United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Rainbow's holding company, A.I.J.J. Enterprises Inc., purchased the 5-7-9 brand in 1999 from the bankrupt Edison Brothers Stores. It's operated through a company division named The New 5-7-9 and Beyond, Inc.
Rainbow stores are an average of 5,000 square ft. Each store’s merchandise varies by location, depending upon demographics and the size of the location. Larger stores usually carry juniors, plus, lingerie, shoes and kids departments.

E-commerce

In November 2012, Rainbow launched its online store which offers a cultivated selection of Junior and Plus fashion, shoes, accessories, discounts, offers and promotions. Its online assortment of styles gets updated daily.