Bloomingdale’s announces retail spin-off Bloomie’s

Bloomingdale’s is opening a brand-new store concept called Bloomie’s later this summer.  According to the company’s press release, the new venture will focus on “advanced, contemporary and luxury brands” for men and women (think Ganni, Staud, Mansur Gavriel, and 3.1 Phillip Lim), as well as beauty.

The first location, a roughly 22,000-square-foot space will be much smaller than a typical Bloomingdale’s store, which can span upward of 200,000 square feet. The store will serve as a hub for experiences, with a focus on fashion, and feature Colada Shop, a restaurant serving coffee, Caribbean-inspired small bites and cocktails into the evening.

“Our new Bloomie’s store will deliver everything they love about Bloomingdale’s in a highly edited, convenient and unexpected way,” Tony Spring, the retailer’s CEO, said in a statement. “We’ve been part of the Washington, D.C., metro area community for decades, and we are excited to welcome new and longtime customers to Bloomie’s to be the first to shop this fresh and casual experience.”

The new Bloomie’s shop will sell women’s and men’s apparel, footwear, jewelry, handbags and beauty products. The merchandise on the floor will rotate frequently throughout the week, giving customers something fresh to look at each time they return. Bloomies will also offer alterations, a drop box for returns and appointments with stylists.

With Bloomie’s, the company also hopes to keep capitalizing on the market share in luxury retail that has been up for grabs after a number of players in the space either closed stores or liquidated in recent years. That list includes Barneys New York, Neiman Marcus and Lord & Taylor.

The company says that more Bloomie’s shops are in the works, but locations and timing have yet to be announced.

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Photo Credit:  Roman Tiraspolsky / Shutterstock.com