Furniture giant to open first retail store

Furniture manufacturer Herman Miller will continue its transformation from a maker of modern office furniture to a lifestyle brand with the opening of its first retail store.



The store, opening in late 2016, will be located in the company’s recently opened flagship in Manhattan’s Gramercy neighborhood. The non-retail components of the flagship—the Herman Miller and Geiger showrooms—are already open, by appointment.



“Having a branded retail store in a major U.S. market will further cement Herman Miller as a premium lifestyle brand—and reinforce the totality of our efforts as a corporation." said CEO Brian Walker.



The retail portion will position Herman Miller to grow revenues across all channels by capturing new market share, driving e-commerce, boosting third-party retail sales, and elevating brand awareness, the company said.



The flagship occupies nearly 60,000 sq.-ft. of the 120,000 sq.-ft. building, which is located at 251 Park Avenue South.