Boscov’s chairman dies at 87

(Reading) — Albert Boscov, the chairman of the Boscov’s department store chain, died Friday in Reading, Pennsylvania, the company announced. He was 87.

Boscov had told employees in a letter Feb. 1 he had been diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer and that “I don’t have a lot of time.

The news was announced by Boscov’s nephew, Jim Boscov, CEO and vice chairman of Boscov’s Department Store.

“Albert Boscov was truly one of the giants in the retail industry,” Jim Boscov said. “He was a man of vision and passion, and he had a profound influence on the retail business community and the community at large.”

Since he took over the business started by his father in 1914, Albert Boscov helped Boscov’s become the largest family-owned department store chain in the country, with sales in excess of $1 billion and more than 7,500 employees, according to the company.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story is part of a partnership between WITF and the York Daily Record.