Many shoppers of BJ's Wholesale Club are only now discovering the origin of the store's name. The initials are not derived from its private-label brand, Berkley Jensen, but rather from the founder's daughter, Beverly Jean.
Mervyn Weich, the founder of the wholesale retailer, named the first store after his daughter when it opened in 1984 in Massachusetts. Weich departed from the company in 1987, but the name had already become established in the retail landscape.
The company, which currently operates 267 stores and 206 gas stations across 22 states, has plans to open 25 to 30 new locations every two years. This year, six new clubs are scheduled to open in Texas, Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, and two in Florida.
BJ's Wholesale Club acknowledges the history of its name on a dedicated page within its website's help center.
Other companies also feature initials in their names with notable origins. IKEA, for instance, was founded in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, who combined his initials with those of the farm and village where he grew up.