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Feature The Neiman Marcus Group Caters To Youth The Neiman Marcus Group is making a strong attempt to capture more business from existing young shoppers with the launching of a new concept called Cusp, a smaller store format catering to a youthful clientele. Four Cusp stores are scheduled to open within the next nine months, the first being a 9,500 sq.ft. location at Tyson’s Corner in McLean, VA. Soon to follow will be an 8,000 sq.ft. unit in Century City in Los Angeles, CA, opening early next month. Scheduled to make its February 2007 debut is an 11,000 sq.ft. store in Georgetown, Washington, DC, while the fourth location has not yet been announced. The innovative stores will open in a specialty mall, an outdoor fashion mall and an outdoor streetscape. The company sees a greater potential to open Cusp in more markets than the company’s 37 full-line department stores. The new concept has been in the works for two years. Overall, Cusp will target the younger, savvier shopper. Cusp will target women ages 21 to 45, however it’s not just for a chronologically younger woman, but also for a younger state of mind. The stores will feature a highly edited mixture of contemporary, ready to wear fashion, including shoes, handbags and jewelry. Everything about the new stores will differ from a usual Neiman Marcus store, beginning with the assortment of fashionable merchandise at lower prices, including lines from Morphine Generation, Jet and J Brand jeans and Phillip Lim 3.0. Along with handbags by Chloe, Kooba and Marc Jacobs, among others, Salvador Sapena and Repetto footwear will also be in stock. In addition to the clothes, shoes and purses, Cusp will also carry beauty products, jewelry and an extensive selection of books and CDs. What won’t change, however, will be Neiman Marcus’ service. Cusp’s shoppers will be treated as if they are working with a personal stylist. Customers will also be able to use their Neiman Marcus cards at Cusp stores. On the contrary to most stores, including Neiman Marcus, that group merchandise by vendor, Cusp will categorize by color or style. The décor of the stores will include plush carpets and marble floors. Unlike the typical Neiman Marcus stores, which commission fine art for their full-price stores, Cusp shops will be decorated with a mixture of natural elements and flea-market objects. Each store will have its own distinctive fixtures. Details for the Tyson’s Corner store include custom-cast metal branches for the door pulls, along with ottomans covered in vintage automotive upholstery from the Seventies and a wall of petrified wood behind the cash register. To make the ambience even more inviting, every dressing room will have its own theme. Neiman Marcus department stores offer high fashion, high-quality women’s and men’s apparel, accessories, fine jewelry, china, crystal and silver. The Neiman Marcus Group operates 35 Neiman Marcus stores throughout approximately 20 states and Washington, DC, as well as two Bergdorf Goodman stores in New York, NY and 17 Last-Call clearance centers that sell marked-down items. Texas Pacific Group and Warburg Pincus acquired Neiman Marcus last year in a $5.1 billion public-to-private buyout. For more information regarding Cusp, contact Ginger Reeder, The Neiman Marcus Group, 5950 Colwell Boulevard, Irving, TX 75039; 972-969-3213; ginger_reeder@neimanmarcus.com ; Web site: www.neimanmarcusgroup.com . |