“Nordstrom enters New York market with first Rack store - Marketwatch” plus 1 more

Nordstrom enters New York market with first Rack store - Marketwatch

Posted: 10 May 2010 10:34 AM PDT

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NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- While years of site searches have yet to yield a suitable full-priced location in New York for Nordstrom Inc., the upscale retailer is going ahead to enter the coveted market with its smaller -- and more profitable -- Rack chain.

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Next to shops from Best Buy and Forever 21 to DSW and Filene's Basement in Manhattan's busy Union Square district, the 32,000 square-foot basement store, scheduled to open Tuesday, is expected to become one of the company's top-selling stores, said Geevy Thomas, president of Nordstrom Rack.

"We have high expectations for the store," Thomas told reporters in a media preview, adding the retailer has a "long-term" lease for the location. "It's going to be one of our largest stores."

It'll be the company's 76th Rack, compared to 114 for the full-priced chain.

Seattle-based Nordstrom /quotes/comstock/13*!jwn/quotes/nls/jwn (JWN 42.75, +2.69, +6.71%) plans to open 10 to 15 Racks, which average about 35,000 square feet apiece, each year, compared to its goal of two to three for the full-priced store, each averaging 140,000 to 160,000 square feet. Rivals also are busy expanding, including Saks Inc. /quotes/comstock/13*!sks/quotes/nls/sks (SKS 9.23, +0.68, +7.89%) with plans to open more of its discount Off 5th chain and Macy's Inc. /quotes/comstock/13*!m/quotes/nls/m (M 23.65, +1.71, +7.79%) with the opening of its first Bloomingdale's outlet scheduled for later this year.

The discount units have been one of the industry's growth areas as shoppers become even more budget conscious in the recession. They help high-end retailers garner additional sales and profits by attracting different shoppers, acting as a channel to clear out merchandise from their full-priced locations and creating opportunities for stores to introduce pieces just for discount shoppers, analysts said.

They also are often more profitable, because the stores don't have to pay for the same kind of intensive service and labor costs as well as the higher lease rates that often go with full-priced stores, they said.

"Rack is an important part of our business," Chief Executive Blake Nordstrom said, adding the Rack generates both more profit and more sales per square foot than its sister chain. "It's a great vehicle to efficiently and quickly move our goods. This particular niche of business is expanding in the industry."

The Union Square opening also comes at a time when Nordstrom is outperforming its industry counterparts: The company last week reported a better-than-expected 7.5% increase in April same-store sales, while a majority of retailers came in short of forecasts for the month. See full story on April sales.

"Trends overall are better," CEO Nordstrom said.

Meanwhile, Nordstrom said the company continues to be on the hunt for a full-priced location in the city, even though he said an ideal one still hasn't come along. The one closest to Manhattan is on Long Island.

/quotes/comstock/13*!jwn/quotes/nls/jwn JWN 42.75, +2.69, +6.71%
/quotes/comstock/13*!sks/quotes/nls/sks SKS 9.23, +0.68, +7.89%
/quotes/comstock/13*!dds/quotes/nls/dds DDS 26.46, +3.27, +14.10%

To accommodate the expected crowd for the store, the location features the company's first centrally located automatic queuing checkout. Its boxed-shoe presentation is grouped by sizes instead of by brands while signs showcase clothing by categories such as contemporary styles.

The Rack location, which doesn't stock kids' clothing and shoes, also features more petite sizes and has a higher percentage for women's clothing and shoes alongside suits and other clothing for men, Thomas said.

Merchandise is expected to turn over quickly as the company plans to make deliveries to the store five days a week.

Brands from Dolce & Gabbana and Burberry to Hugo Boss and Cole Haan are featured with prices about 50% to 60% off than the original price tags from the full-priced stores.

Thomas said he doesn't expect the Rack to steal away business from the full-priced stores, adding Nordstrom's top customers tend to shop across its full-priced, Rack and online channels. "We don't see cannibalization," he said.

Outpacing a broadly higher market, shares of Nordstrom rose more than 6% to $42.70 in afternoon trading.

Andria Cheng is a MarketWatch reporter based in New York.

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Poppy Clementine Baby & Children's Boutique Launches Online Shop ... - Earthtimes (press release)

Posted: 04 May 2010 01:01 AM PDT

(1888PressRelease) - New online baby boutique www.poppyclementine.com offers a range of distinctive, boutique quality kids' clothing, shoes, accessories, gifts, decor and toys from around the world including sections of eco-friendly products and one-of-a-kind, handmade items.

May 03, 2010 - Kansas City, Missouri - Just in time for Mother's Day, Poppy Clementine, Inc. launched a new online baby and children's boutique, https://www.poppyclementine.com, a one-stop-shop for distinctive goods for the exceptional young children in your lives. While you may not find the perfect gift for Mother's Day, you will find the perfect deal on unique baby and children's products that Mom will love. New customers can use code POPPY15 at checkout for a 15% discount on their entire order. Free domestic shipping on orders over $100 is a standard perk of the site.

"At Poppy Clementine Baby & Children's Boutique, we know that Moms love to discover special and unique items for their kids that can't be seen at every baby shower and on every playground in America. Our focus is on finding unique & distinctive designer, eco-friendly and/or handmade products from all over the world to offer our discerning customers at reasonable prices. Our new online shop is the premiere destination for parents and gift buyers who want high quality, stylish and DISTINCTIVE baby and younger children's products," says Amber McCracken, Founder and Owner of Poppy Clementine, Inc.

Items available for girls and boys, newborn to size 6X include clothing, accessories, shoes, wooden toys, soft toys, bath products, nursery and room decor, gear and gifts, all of which are designer brand, environmentally friendly, handmade or imported from areas such as Australia, France, England and the Netherlands. All products are held to strict safety standards and the site offers an entire section of items that are are manufactured using non-toxic, organic and eco-friendly materials and are made with fair-trade practices.

Poppy Clementine Baby & Children's Boutique offers a wide variety of high quality designer brands offering distinctive pieces for boys and girls, including Catimini, Twirls & Twigs, Fore!! Axel & Hudson, Right Bank Babies and Plan Toys along with lesser-known, more unique and exclusive brands including Crabcakes, Three Little Trees, Llum and Little Raggio.

Poppy Clementine Baby & Children's Boutique also provides shoppers with an easy-to-use wish list feature and many ways to share your favorite items with your friends and family in the social media atmosphere. Gift certificates are also available.

For more information and to start shopping, visit https://www.poppyclementine.com

Contact Information:
Poppy Clementine, Inc
Phone: 1-888-687-6779
Website: htts://www.poppyclementine.com

Source: 1888pressrelease

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Kids Clothing

Monday, May 10, 2010