Majors

Gunderson’s To Acquire JB Hudson Jewelers

MajorsMar 09, 2021

Gunderson’s To Acquire JB Hudson Jewelers

The Minneapolis-based retailer will continue to serve customers under the JB Hudson name, for now.

20210309_JB Hudson.jpg
Family-owned Gunderson’s Jewelers has acquired Minneapolis jeweler JB Hudson.
Sioux City, Iowa—Gunderson’s Jewelers has acquired JB Hudson Jewelers, a 136-year-old retailer, from The Pohlad Companies.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Josiah B. Hudson founded JB Hudson Jewelers in 1885, setting up shop in Minneapolis.

The store survived a fire and a relocation, changing hands a few times before being sold to Pohlad in 2007.

Following the sale, Gunderson’s will continue to build on JB Hudson Jewelers’ legacy of “outstanding” customer service, said Ben Hawn, Pohlad Companies chief of staff, in a press release about the acquisition.


It will continue to operate as JB Hudson Jewelers “for the near future,” a spokesperson confirmed to National Jeweler.

“We have admired JB Hudson for years and are very excited about the opportunity to bring Gunderson’s to the Twin Cities,” said Brian Gunderson, Gunderson’s CEO and owner, in a statement. 

Gunderson’s is an independent, family-owned retailer founded in 1945 by George Gunderson. It got its start as a watch repair shop in Sioux City, Iowa.

Over time, it evolved into a full-service jeweler, becoming one of the largest independent jewelers in the Midwest and opening additional stores in Omaha, Nebraska; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Fargo, North Dakota.


“We look forward to becoming part of the Twin Cities community and bringing our expertise and integrity to JB Hudson’s customers,” said Gunderson. 

The acquisition is expected to close March 31.
Lenore Fedowis the senior editor, news at National Jeweler, covering the retail beat and the business side of jewelry.

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