VF Corporation is leaving the Piedmont Triad. They're taking several brands with them, like The North Face and JanSport. Wrangler and Lee will remain. They say it's a move to maintain "Jeansboro".
The company, and its jeans, have been a big part of Greensboro for 20 years. But we're going to take you all the way back to the company's beginning.
It started in 1899 as a glove and mitten manufacturer. The name "VF" came about in 1919. It stood for "Vanity Fair Mills".
They acquired Lee Jeans 50 years later and became VF Corporation. Now brands like JanSport and Wrangler joined the ranks. A few of the 30 popular brands under the VF umbrella.
VF moved to Greensboro in 1998. It was a move that doubled the company's sales. The move, plus the Wrangler brand gave Greensboro its nickname.
The denim and the jeans will stay here. Wrangler joins with Lee to become a new company headquartered in Greensboro, worth about 2.5 billion dollars. The rest of the brands will consolidate to Colorado.