George Melvin Ivey Jr. Dies at 91

Retailer George Melvin Ivey Jr., who expanded his grandfather’s Charlotte, N.C., J.B. Ivey & Co. department store chain, died May 21, at the age of 91.

According to Women’s Wear Daily, Ivey joined J.B. Ivey & Co. in 1947. He expanded the company in the 1960s and 1970s, taking the store from downtown locations to regional shopping malls in North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida.

In 1980, Ivey sold the company to Marshall Field & Co. and became svp of Marshall Field’s. Ivey also served as vp of the National Retail Merchants Association and director and president of the Charlotte Merchants Association.