Style Arcade’s Post

Bloomingdale's CEO on the Future of American Department Stores. About a year into his tenure as Bloomingdale’s chief executive, Olivier Bron knows what’s ailing American department stores: too much focus on financial returns, and not enough on shoppers. An outsider to American #fashion who has worked as an executive for Parisian department store Galeries Lafayette and Thai retail conglomerate Central Group, Bron believes the value of the format hasn’t changed since its invention 300 years ago — a sprawling space promising endless variety, with beautiful displays and persuasive salespeople. Simply displaying a mainstream offering of fashion isn’t enough. Discovery is about creating something new: bringing two brands together in collaboration, for instance, or an intricately themed event that people have never seen before. A New Standard for Partnership Bron’s strategy is rooted in winning back the favour of fashion brands that have grown wary of #wholesale, as well as making changes that will resonate with Bloomingdale’s’ particular demographic. Its shoppers tend to be younger and prefer a less formal shopping experience — a largely different profile from customers who visit standalone brand boutiques. The Bloomies’ Experience Bron also has big plans for the 57 existing Bloomingdale’s locations, taking a page out of his experience managing department stores in Asia and Europe: strong product assortment, great customer service and an emphasis on Bloomingdale’s own unique branding. In recent months, Bloomingdale’s has started making store improvements, from lighting upgrades and new furniture to renovating entire departments. Now, it’s looking to make major alterations in its 59th street Manhattan flagship, including expanding the luxury footprint, building new shop-in-shops and revamping its design shoe section. “It’s not just about products, but the joy and pleasure of shopping, from the façade and curbside of the building to all the small things inside the store,” said Bron. “It’s always a surprise to our customers, and that’s fantastic.” #retail #fashionindustry #bloomingdales #nyc #paris #toronto #manhattan #shopping #womenswear #shoes #ceo #fashionbrands #luxury

See how @Groupe Dynamite, parent to popular Dynamite and Garage fashion brands, is leveraging Manhattan Active® Omni and Manhattan Active Point of Sale to achieve incredible results! Manhattan Associates shares details in this recent announcement. 👙https://ow.ly/9LFf50SmjVx #retailtechnology #commerce #pointofsale #retailing #retailsales

M&S’s Polo Some 30 years ago, BDALondon was working with M&S to help develop products that they could no longer make in their supply chain in the UK. At the time, 99% of goods sold in M&S were made in the UK, but they were under price stress from competitors sourcing from the East. Quality and styles had been compromised to hit commercial price points. We landed in Hong Kong (still a British colony) with lots of product ideas around 1990. One of the M&S buyers (or selectors, as they were called) for the leisurewear department (known as T28) was thrilled to have discovered the factory that made the polo shirt for Ralph Lauren, which was the gold standard at the time for quality, style, and fit. M&S developed a very similar polo with the said factory and realized they could hit a retail selling price of circa £5*, compared to RL's £25*. *These price points are what I remember, so don’t quote me, but it gives you an accurate relativity. (Please, anyone in my network, help with more accurate price pointing.) The assumption was this superior quality, fit, and style would offer the M&S customer such great value that sales would grow exponentially. However, what wasn’t factored in was the old dark arts of marketing! As you’ve probably guessed, there was no significant change in sales. The same guys came into the same store and bought the same amount of polos that they’ve always needed. From both brands. The strength of the M&S brand was so strong that customer loyalty drove a perception that M&S quality was always superior to anyone else’s. The strength of Ralph Lauren doesn’t need explaining. #innovation #offshore #sustainabilty #bdalondon #trendhub #marksandspencer #ralphlauren

Scoop: While ZARA USA's moving out next year, these four retailers are moving IN to Union Square on Post St., including right across from Zara's longtime 26,000-square-foot store. Union Square Alliance (Business Improvement District) #retail #sanfrancisco #luxuryretail BREITLING St. John Knits ROLEX Patek Philippe news, there's at least four new deals on will be moving on from 250 Post St. next year, but four #luxury retailers are moving in along Post, including right across the street. https://lnkd.in/gdis_gDh

Consumers' needs have changed. Is your fitting room experience stuck in the past? Today's consumers expect apparel stores to offer a try-on experience that is more: 👕 Convenient 👙 Personalized 👗 Attentive 👚 Efficient Crave's smart fitting rooms help customers find their perfect fit -- without leaving the comfort and privacy of their fitting room. If you're still doing things the old way, you're missing out on service opportunities and data insights that satisfy customers and drive sales. https://lnkd.in/g-UYAPNN #retail #apparel #fittingrooms #tech Matthew Cyr Daniel O'Sullivan Sarah Breneman Dan Dyer Laurence Faguer Neil Saunders Liza Amlani Jeff Sward

The summer is off to an exciting start with the wave from White Claw! 🌊 Behind the scenes: Unveiling a new store in Monroe, New Jersey, involved a seamless takeover strategy before the holiday rush. Picture this: a striking 12ft tall and 6ft wide White Claw Seltzer Co sign positioned strategically at the end of the aisle, flanked by cold beer doors. The meticulous alignment of the three sections of coroplast was key to creating a captivating design. This successful endeavor was a true team effort, showcasing the synergy between the merchandiser, salesman, and art department. The result? An awe-inspiring display that leaves the owner saying, “Wow” every time he lays eyes on it. This project not only secured prime real estate within the store but also fostered a strong bond with the owners, solidifying a lasting partnership.🤝 #whiteclaw #seltzers #teamwork #takeover #signage #pos #salesandrelations #relationshipbuilding #newjersey #selfdriven #quickturnaround #accountrelations #gobigorgohome #summertime #4thofJuly #fourthofJuly #newaccount #brandawareness #marketingandadvertising #summer2024 #beach #merchandising #primeplacement

I can’t recall the last time I’ve seen this much activity in an A mall - 10 new stores and 8 remodels! In a digital world, we can sometimes overlook that ~70% of consumer spending in retail happens in physical stores. Digital still influences these purchases, so I view this era as the convergence of physical & digital to enable exceptional customer experiences. ⭐️ Dallas Northpark Center’s has 10 new stores and 8 remodels booked now through fall. ⭐️ Trending brands - Reformation, Hill House Home , and Marine Layer ⭐️ Luxury new stores or renovations - GIVENCHY, Prada, AMIRI, Etro and Tiffany & Co. #futureofcommerce #futureofretail #retail #malls #luxury #customerexperience

JL selects five rivals for interiors price matching Argos, Dunelm, Furniture Village, Heal's and Next will be the main interiors price match comparisons for John Lewis & Partners when it re-introduces its Never Knowingly Undersold promise next week. The retailers are among 25 the department store chain will use to price match on branded products. The promise has been updated for its return, two years after it was axed. It will now include online sales a well. The promises was ended in 2022 as the chain was forced to price match near-constant significant discounts, particularly at weekends, on make-up by rivals such as Debenhams. The chain says it will debut the new message with its largest consumer marketing campaign. It was first introduced at the Peter Jones store, London in 1925 before being introduced to other branches in 1926. The 25 brands being matched are: AO; Amazon (technology only); Apple; Argos; ASOS.com; Boots UK; Currys plc; Dunelm; Dreams; The Entertainer; Fenwick; FLANNELS; Furniture Village; Harrods; Harvey Nichols; Heal's; House of Fraser; Lakeland; Marks and Spencer; Mamas & Papas; Next; Richer Sounds; Selfridges; Smyths Toys Superstores and Space NK. #retail #retailindustry #pricematching

🟢 Bloomingdale’s now offers pre-owned luxury goods in its stores & online.. and launches resale 👇 The luxury department store chain announced a partnership with Rebag, a New York-based resale specialist, to expand its offering with selected pre-loved luxury handbags, watches & fine jewelry. 🇺🇸 The secondhand assortment will be available both online and in 5 selected USA Bloomingdale's locations as dedicated shop-in-shops. ♻️ Bloomingdale’s customers will not only be able to purchase pre-owned luxury items, but also sell their own pre-loved pieces. Rebag provides quotes & immediate payouts for accepted products, making the process convenient for shoppers. 👜 The retailer stated that it launches pre-loved to meet customers' needs and introduce a new range of ultra-luxury brands. 📈 The secondhand fashion market experienced significant growth the last years, mainly driven by younger consumers and shifting attitudes towards luxury fashion. 🤝 In response to this trend, major retailers such as Walmart and Amazon have formed similar partnerships with various secondhand platforms such as What Goes Around Comes Around. → In 2019, Neiman Marcus Group purchased a minority stake in FASHIONPHILE, a competitor of Rebag. → In the UAE, Level Shoes was the first luxury retailer to launch its branded resale program in collaboration with Reflaunt. But not all that glitters is gold though. 🤑 The online resale market is becoming increasingly crowded & competitive, and despite its hyper growth, profitability remains a challenge due to lower margins and high operational expenses. It took The RealReal 5 years to post positive quarterly EBITDA since its IPO in 2019, for example. In 2022, the peer-to-peer fashion marketplace Poshmark was sold off at half its IPO valuation, just a year and a half after going public... ⭐️ Anyhow, the partnership between Bloomingdale’s and Rebag: ✔️ highlights a growing trend among major retailers to incorporate secondhand luxury goods into their offerings ✔️ reflects the changing consumer preferences ✔️ highlights the increasing importance of sustainability in the fashion industry ➡️ Do you think it's the new normal for retailers to offer pre-owned items and allow customers to (re)sell their own pre-loved pieces? 💬 #innovation #fashion #retail #secondhand #circulareconomy #sustainability