Neiman Marcus

Off-price retailing is hot, but Neiman Marcus is emphasizing what it knows best.    Neiman Marcus will close 10 of its 37 off-price Last Call stores in order to focus on its full-line luxury department stores. Prior to the news, the retailer has already closed three Last Call outlets this year, including its locations at Allen Premium Outlets, Allen, Texas, and Legacy Place in Dedham, Mass.   

Lowe’s Cos. has appointed a 20-year retail veteran to lead supply chain field processes   Michael West will join Lowe's as senior VP of supply chain field operations, effective Sept. 25. He will report to chief supply chain officer Brent G. Kirby.   West joins Lowe's from Neiman Marcus, where he served on the company's leadership team as senior VP, supply chain. He led distribution, transportation and fulfillment for all brands in the Neiman Marcus Group.   

Whether we’re receiving coupons based on our spending, or product suggestions based on other people’s spending, artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming how consumers shop and experience brands. For retailers, meanwhile, AI could increase profits by almost 60%¹. It could be a game-changer in this labor-intensive sector, augmenting the workforce and enabling employees to become more productive.  

Empire Outlets, the outlet center taking shape on the Staten Island side of the Staten Island Ferry, has turned to Manhattan and Holly Nichols to help promote the center.   Nichols’s illustrations have guided campaigns for Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman-Marcus, not to mention New York and Boston Fashion Weeks. Her work has 600,000 followers on Instagram, and originals sell to collectors on Etsy.  

Multi-brand and vertically integrated beauty stores are shaking up the beauty industry — and growing at a rapid rate.    With hundreds of new doors opening in various formats, cosmetics specialty and vertically integrated stores, such as Ulta, Sephora, Bluemercury, NYX, Kiko Milano, and e.l.f., have grown at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 19% over the past five years, according to a report by research and consulting firm Kline. Such stores now account for an estimated 20% of total beauty market sales. 

Mackage

Toronto

Design: Burdifilek, Toronto

A premium brand born from the celebration of colder climates, Mackage (Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Toronto) received Store of the Year honors in the Retail Design Institute’s 46th annual International Store Design Competition.

Neiman Marcus is making moves to offset its debt and improve its capital structure.   The luxury department store’s first step was to eliminate 225 positions. Affected employees — which span all brands and operating divisions — will receive severance packages, and also be considered for other job openings within the company, according to the Dallas News.