Neiman Marcus gears up to open Hudson Yards location

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Mar 12, 2019

For the first time since its birth in 1907, Neiman Marcus will open a store in Manhattan on Friday, unveiling a location at The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards. 

The 188,000-square-foot store on the 5th, 6th and 7th floors of The Shops & Restaurants will feature a range of curated products, including items selected exclusively for the location, as well as three dining options.

In particular, the new location aims to be a playground of new digital features: shoppers will be offered a digital styling lounge where they can have in-store interactions with a digital stylist, as well as digitally-enabled fitting rooms complete with touch screens, customizable lighting and the ability to check out from the room. Memory Makeover mirrors that can record and text or email in-store beauty tutorials, will also feature at he location, as will a digital sunglasses mirror that allows customers to record and compare themselves in up to four different sunglasses styles, digital directories, charging stations and more. 

"We're thrilled to be introducing Neiman Marcus Hudson Yards as a continuation of our strategy to transform the Neiman Marcus brand into a digital luxury platform," said Geoffroy van Raemdonck, CEO of Neiman Marcus Group. "This store recognizes our brand's history and heritage while adapting to how the next generation of luxury customers shop. Neiman Marcus Hudson Yards will be all about providing physical and digital experiences in a way not seen at other stores, creating a personal customer experience that is seamless and magical."

Additional services exclusive to the Hudson Yards location include the Neiman Marcus Travel Shop, an area dedicated to men's and women's travel apparel and accessories; the Cook & Merchant's Kitchen, where shoppers can participate in demonstrations, tastings, and mixology classes; and Neiman Marcus Live, a performance stage offering live activations and concerts.

The BLVD beauty salon will be on hand to offer blowouts, manicures, pedicures, nail art, lash extensions, laser hair removal, waxing, brow shaping and peel services, and there  will also be a brow shaping lab and nail art station in the Beauty department. Elsewhere, the store will also play host to a Lucchese boot shop and Neiman Marcus' first Resurrection Vintage boutique curated by Katy Rodriguez and Mark Haddawy.

The new location looks set to draw attention from industry observers not only for its in-store innovations, but also as a litmus test for the ever-debated viability of the Hudson Yards development. Located in a formerly industrial corner of Manhattan's West Side, uncertainty surrounding the commercial success of the 28-acre development as a shopping, dining and tourist destination has abounded, as retailers and brands including Rhone, Pandora, Forty Five Ten, Cartier, Van Cleef, Piaget and more have put down roots at the locale.