At retail, companies – big and small – are finding ways to innovate, surprise and establish a clear presence in a crowded market.
In late May, Brunello Cucinelli opened a boutique at 39 Newtown Lane in East Hampton, N.Y., an area clogged with mega brands chasing big dollars. For Brunello Cucinelli, the opening is part of a strategy aimed at the resort market.
“We are featuring pretty much our total look for men and ladies, and the home collection,” Massimo Caronna, president of Brunello Cucinelli USA, told WWD. “Cashmere is how we started and that remains an important part of our collection.”
The East Hampton store is the second in the U.S. The company currently operates 16 shops. The resort strategy calls for openings in Sylt, Germany, and Milano Marittima, Italy, sometime this summer. Shops in Sydney, London and Tokyo are also on the agenda.
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At Bergdorf Goodman earlier this month, the luxury retailer featured a collection of papier-mache sculptures. The animal heads were made by French artists Anne Freisz and Laurent Poumarat.
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Bergdorf is displaying the collection, priced between $1,800 and $2,300, on the seventh floor, the retailer’s home goods merchandise section. The expressions on the animal sculptures make the pieces distinct. And the papier-mache material is an alternative to taxidermy.
“We’ve done a strong business with taxidermy, but at Bergdorf’s we do have our whimsical or experimental side,” said Nicholas Manville, the store’s vice president and divisional merchandise manager of decorative home.
Eyeing Manhattan for some time now is Nordstrom, which moved “one step closer” to finding its first location in the city by hiring the Madison Retail Group, a retail real estate consulting and brokerage firm. “This is our most complicated real estate decision ever, for a number of factors,” Pete Nordstrom, president of merchandising, told WWD on May 30. “We want to give ourselves the best chance to have great information. It’s a big decision. We want to do it right. We needed an objective way to assess the market and all the opportunities there.”
For a detailed look at the stores behind the headlines, see the following archived articles:
Brunello Cucinelli Finds Place in Hamptons Sun
June 05, 2007
Bergdorf’s Goes to the Animals
June 04, 2007
Nordstrom Hires Firm to Aid Search for Manhattan Location
May 31, 2007