Neiman Marcus
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Neiman Marcus is a chain of upscale department stores operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States. The store is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Comparatively, its merchandise is on par with Saks Fifth Avenue and above Nordstrom.
The group also operates the exclusive Bergdorf Goodman department stores, with the men's and women's stores located across from each other on Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Neiman's history
Herbert Marcus, Sr., his sister Carrie Marcus Neiman and her husband A. L. Neiman founded the Neiman - Marcus retail establishment in Dallas, Texas on September 10, 1907. In 1913, a fire destroyed the Neiman Marcus store and all of its merchandise. A temporary store was set up and opened in a mere seventeen days. In 1914, Neiman Marcus reopened at a new, larger "uptown" location at Main and Ervay. The original Dallas store was honored with historic landmark status by the State of Texas In 1982.
With the opening of this flagship store, Neiman Marcus increased its selection to include accessories, lingerie, and children's clothing, as well as expanding the women's apparel department. In 1929, they began offering menswear.
In 1927, Neiman Marcus premiered the first weekly retail fashion show in the United States. In 1971, the first Neiman Marcus outside Texas opens in Bal Harbour, Florida. In subsequent years, stores have opened in over thirty cities across the United States, including Atlanta, Beverly Hills, Las Vegas.
In the late '90s, the company tried to branch out with a concept called the Galleries of Neiman Marcus, which sold jewelry, gifts and home accessories. The effort failed, and all three Galleries – in Seattle, Cleveland and Phoenix – were closed. Some believe the locations were all wrong, and Neiman Marcus officials have hinted the concept might be resurrected.
In 1999 Neiman Marcus's website debuted as did the store's online gift registry. Recently, in 2002, Neiman Marcus and the fashion world alike mourned the death of Stanley Marcus. This was also the year that the company started a website for The Horchow Collection, which became part of Neiman Marcus in 1986.
The last twenty years have seen Neiman Marcus pass through several ownership hands. In June, 1987, the company was spun off from its retail parent, Carter Hawley Hale, and became a publicly listed company. However, General Cinema, later to become Harcourt General, still had a roughly 60% controlling interest throughout until 1999, when Neiman Marcus was fully spun-off from its parent company. Most recently, on May 2nd, 2005, the company agreed to be acquired by two private equity firms, Texas Pacific Group and Warburg Pincus LLC.
Neiman's today
Unlike many grand old department stores, Neiman Marcus is still in operation today and still has its headquarters in Dallas. The Neiman Marcus Group is comprised of the Specialty Retail stores division - which includes Neiman Marcus Stores and Bergdorf Goodman - and the Direct Marketing division, Neiman Marcus Direct. These retailers offer upscale assortments of apparel, accessories, jewelry, beauty and decorative home products to the affluent consumer. The Company operates 37 Neiman Marcus Stores across the United States and two Bergdorf Goodman stores in Manhattan. The Company also operates seventeen Last Call clearance centers. These store operations total more than 5 million square feet (500,000 m²) gross.
Neiman Marcus Direct, conducts both print catalog and online operations under the Neiman Marcus, Horchow and Bergdorf Goodman brand names. Under the Neiman Marcus brand, Neiman Marcus Direct primarily offers women's apparel, accessories and home furnishings. Horchow offers quality home furnishings, linens, decorative accessories and tabletop items.
The Company also owns majority interests in two designer resources: Kate Spade, a manufacturer of accessories, and Gurwitch Products, which manufactures Laura Mercier cosmetics." Sales-wise, they perform at a higher level than most in the department store industry. Other luxury retailers that they compete with include, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdale's.
Neiman's and pop culture
Neiman Marcus's high-end image was portrayed on the small screen in the 1980s on The Facts of Life, where wealthy character Blair Warner enjoyed shopping there.
The company is also part of an urban legend, involving the recipe for its popular chocolate chip cookie. Legend has it that a patron of the store was charged a substantial amount of money for the cookie recipe on their credit card without knowing. While the story is known to be false, Neiman Marcus has decided to put their cookie recipe up on their website. That way the rumours can subside.
Due to the higher prices on its upscale merchandise, Neiman Marcus is derisively called "Needless Markup."
Holiday catalog cars
Neiman Marcus has often offered limited-edition automobiles in their holiday catalogs. These are usually coordinated with manufacturers as a publicity stunt, though the cars themselves are normally special versions unavailable from other sources and produced in limited numbers.
- 1971 "His and Hers" Ford Thunderbird
- 1994 BMW Z3 James Bond edition
- 1996 GMC Suburban Sony edition
- 1997 Audi TT
- 1998 BMW X5
- 1999 Ford Thunderbird
- 2000 Lexus SC 430
- 2001 Ford Thunderbird (200)
- 2002 Cadillac XLR (101)
- 2004 Maserati Quattroporte (at $125,000)
- 2005 Lexus GS 450h (75 at $65,000)
Locations
Arizona
Northern California
- San Francisco MSA
- Union Square (freestanding), San Francisco
- San José MSA
Southern California
- Los Angeles MSA
- Wilshire Boulevard (freestanding), Beverly Hills
- Westfield Topanga (scheduled to open in 2008) , Los Angeles (Canoga Park)
- Fashion Island, Newport Beach
- San Diego MSA
- Fashion Valley Mall, San Diego
Colorado
District of Columbia
- Washington, D.C. MSA
- Mazza Gallerie, Washington, D.C.
Florida
- Orlando MSA
- The Mall at Millenia, Orlando
- Tampa/St. Petersburg MSA
- Miami/Fort Lauderdale/West Palm Beach MSA
- Bal Harbour Shops, Bal Harbour
- Town Center at Boca Raton, Boca Raton
- The Village at Merrick Park, Coral Gable
- The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale
- Worth Avenue (freestanding), Palm Beach
Georgia
- Atlanta MSA
Hawaii
Illinois
- Chicago MSA
- Michigan Avenue (freestanding), Chicago
- Northbrook Court, Northbrook
- Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook
Massachusetts
- Boston MSA
- Copley Place, Boston
- Natick Mall (scheduled to open spring 2007), Natick
Michigan
Minnesota
- Minneapolis/St. Paul MSA
- Gaviidae Common, Minneapolis
Missouri
Nevada
New Jersey
- New York MSA
- Westfield Garden State Plaza, Paramus
- The Mall at Short Hills, New Jersey
New York
- New York MSA
- The Westchester, White Plains
- The Mall at Oyster Bay (scheduled to open 2007), Oyster Bay
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Texas
- Austin MSA
- The Domain (scheduled to open March 2007), Austin
- Dallas/Fort Worth MSA
- One Marcus Square (flagship), Dallas
- NorthPark Center, Dallas
- Ridgmar, Fort Worth
- The Shops at Willow Bend, Plano
- Houston MSA
- San Antonio MSA
- The Shops at La Cantera, San Antonio
Virginia
- Washington, D.C. MSA
- Tysons Galleria, McLean (Tysons Corner)
