# Men's Wearhouse: George Zimmer (2019)

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2022-08-29
- Length: 1h 00m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-29-mens-wearhouse-george-zimmer-2019

## Summary

George Zimmer, founder of Men's Wearhouse, explains how he identified a gap in the mid-range men's apparel market to build a multi-billion dollar retail empire, pioneering the 'everyday low prices' model and white-labeling Nino Saruti suits. He details the strategic pivot to eliminate sales, the creation of the iconic 'I guarantee it' advertising campaign, and the aggressive expansion that led to an IPO. The episode concludes with the bitter boardroom battle that resulted in his ousting as executive chairman and his subsequent founding of Generation Tux, an online tuxedo rental service.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-29-mens-wearhouse-george-zimmer-2019#t=0) Introduction: George Zimmer and Men's Wearhouse
- [6:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-29-mens-wearhouse-george-zimmer-2019#t=369) Early Life and Manufacturing in Asia
- [14:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-29-mens-wearhouse-george-zimmer-2019#t=862) Retail Experience and Opening the First Store
- [23:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-29-mens-wearhouse-george-zimmer-2019#t=1408) Strategic Pivot to Everyday Low Prices
- [32:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-29-mens-wearhouse-george-zimmer-2019#t=1941) The 'I Guarantee It' Campaign and Expansion
- [41:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-29-mens-wearhouse-george-zimmer-2019#t=2502) Boardroom Conflict and Ousting
- [53:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-29-mens-wearhouse-george-zimmer-2019#t=3216) Founding Generation Tux

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Retail, wholesale & distribution](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/retail-and-distribution)
- [Marketing & brand](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/marketing-and-brand)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Direct-to-consumer & e-commerce](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/direct-to-consumer)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Men's Wearhouse (company)
- Nino Saruti (product)
- Generation Tux (company)
- Joseph A Bank (company)
- KNG (company)
- Macy's (company)
- Foley's (company)
- Robert Hall (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [044: Turning customizable jackets into a multi-million dollar business, Elyse Daniels of Exodus Wear](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-14-044-turning-customizable-jackets-into-a-multi-million-dollar-business-elyse-dani) (Product Startup)
- [STL INT: Interview with Garrett Wade founder Garry Chinn](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2020-10-02-stl-int-interview-with-garrett-wade-founder-garry-chinn) (Shop Talk Live)
- [#258 - How Dossier Disrupted the Fragrance Industry](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2026-07-21-258-how-dossier-disrupted-the-fragrance-industry) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [199: Selling a New Product Successfully on Amazon](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-10-28-199-selling-a-new-product-successfully-on-amazon) (Product Startup)
- [Episode 339: EGO](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2022-01-21-episode-339-ego) (Making It)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-08-29-mens-wearhouse-george-zimmer-2019. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.