Julie Brownstone

New York’s Saks Fifth Avenue and Dallas’s Neiman Marcus Group, two iconic names in luxury fashion, are joining forces under the new umbrella company “Saks Global.” According to The Dallas Morning News, this landmark deal is set to reshape the market, combining their unique strengths to offer unparalleled customer experiences. Saks CEO Marc Metrick l highlights that this merger will leverage customer data to tailor individual experiences, eliminating the need for brand differentiation at the store level. With Neiman Marcus’s rich history in Dallas since 1907 and Saks Fifth Avenue’s prominence in New York since 1924, this combination brings together two storied legacies. Both brands have weathered challenges, from the pandemic to financial restructuring, but have emerged stronger. Neiman Marcus, for instance, posted an impressive $4.5 billion in revenue in 2023. As these giants come together, we can expect innovative growth and enhanced offerings for luxury shoppers. So much to look forward to! We are excited to see how it all unfolds! https://lnkd.in/gtHbgSnY #HalifaxWest #WinTogether #capitaladvisory #MandA #restructuring #operatingadvisory #LuxuryRetail #SaksGlobal #NeimanMarcus #FashionIndustry #RetailInnovation

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Curious about the impact of supply chain design on #retail? Hear directly from Jonny Hartung, program manager of supply chain strategy at Nordstrom in this exclusive #testimonial. Discover his favorite features of #CosmicFrog and what it's like to work with our dedicated team. 🎥 Watch now to learn more! #supplychaindesign #supplychainstrategy

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As athleisure wear sweeps across the world of fashion, China is no exception. In the first half of 2024, our Hot Pot China team observed a notable surge in athleisure categories, with sports sweaters (+240%), sports down jackets (+42%), and sports dresses (+39%) leading the way compared to H1 2023. This growth isn’t limited to the warmer months; it’s driven by an increasingly active, year-round lifestyle in China. Curious about the driving forces? Read more about China’s #athleisure boom in our latest blog. https://lnkd.in/exfsS4_a #ChinaMarket #BrandStrategy #ConsumerTrends #ChinaMarketing #ChineseConsumers #ECommerce

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Saks Owner, Hudson's Bay Company to Acquire Neiman Marcus. The $2.65 billion deal includes financial assistance from Amazon, according to The Wall Street Journal. It has been long rumoured that HBC would acquire Neiman Marcus Group, which also owns Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. According to the sources in the WSJ report, the two retailers together would generate $10 billion in annual sales. Saks and Neiman Marcus have faced a tough retail landscape in recent years amid a softening in the luxury sector and as consumers have shifted their shopping online or toward brands directly. Is this a good deal for HBC? #hudsonsbay #neimanmarcus #amazon #mergersandacquisitions #usbusiness #fashion #fashionbusiness

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Particularly in the retail sector, pop-up stores (or pop-up sites within established partner stores) represents a way for a company to quickly take advantage of sales opportunities or test out the business opportunity in an area without making a full commitment to open a long term store. Therein, there are a series of compromises that a company makes to keep costs down and deployment quick, and these compromises include the technology package that is deployed as the below article describes. While the concept of a pop-up may generally be a “retail thing”, the concept of deploying a subset of functionality on a temporary basis to a site quickly and inexpensively is clearly not limited to retail. Having an infrastructure team that can provide solutions to make certain that "expediently pragmatic" does not become "catastrophically problematic" is critical. Even better, is having an infrastructure partner that can plan these ahead of time and has an established process to build and deploy the technology component to a temp site. TNMG excels at helping customers deploy IT systems to support short term locations quickly, efficiently, and reliably. If you’re struggling with deploying technology to temp sites (whether that is a technology package in a suitcase for a day’s use or a cut down rack of equipment for weeks to months), give us a call.

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WOW! Saks Fifth Avenue's parent company, HSBC, announced a $2.65 billion deal to acquire Neiman Marcus Group, forming a new luxury retail powerhouse named Saks Global. This entity will encompass Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Saks OFF 5TH, and Bergdorf Goodman. The merger aims to strengthen their position in negotiating with luxury brands amidst industry shifts favoring direct-to-consumer sales. Leadership changes were also unveiled, with Marc Metrick and Ian Putnam taking key roles. The merger is supported by Amazon, which seeks to enhance logistics and e-commerce capabilities for the new entity. Read More Here: https://lnkd.in/eKWQ7MvG CNN Nathaniel Meyersohn Jordan Valinsky Branded Hospitality Ventures #merger #hospitality #saksFifth #Amazon #acquisition Shivi Shankaran Kim Miller Phoebe Johnson Geoffroy van Raemdonck Stefanie Tsen Ward Lana Todorovich Katie Low Anderson John S. Carter John Hinshaw

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Is the Saks acquisition of Neiman Marcus a good move? Saks Fifth Avenue's parent company, HBC, has announced the acquisition of Neiman Marcus for $2.65 billion, which, once the transaction is finalized, will establish a new luxury retail powerhouse named Saks Global. How might the two brands avoid losing their identity and positioning in the competitive luxury retail market? Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gRNpNrqe Paula Rosenblum "I don’t see how putting these underperforming retailers together creates differentiated, accretive but profitable experiences…The luxury market is getting crazy oversaturated." Shannon Flanagan "Who knows?! It saddens me to see another iconic brand be folded into a like brand. The big question I’m most curious about is the positioning of Neiman Marcus in their portfolio: stores, product, teams, culture, etc." Jeff Sward "This is a far from obvious solution to what ails these two retailers and this tier of the market. Sure, they will save a couple of nickels in some back office efficiencies and a couple more nickels in “negotiating power” (maybe). Neither of those press release favorites will move the needle significantly."

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The luxury retail landscape is shifting with Saks Fifth Avenue’s acquisition of Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. 💼💎 As inflation reshapes consumer habits, this deal could offer Saks an edge, enabling it to tap into a slightly older, wealthier clientele and curate more tailored experiences for different demographics. With over half of their sales coming from high-income shoppers, this acquisition highlights the potential for greater market reach and specialization. Are we witnessing the start of a new era in luxury retail? Let’s see how these shifts redefine the future of shopping. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gdYs6jRX #LuxuryRetail #ConsumerTrends #RetailInsights #DepartmentStores #MediaHoundsCreative #MediaHounds #MHC

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The topic of innovation is top of mind in the performance running shoe market – especially if you ask Nike, which has been widely criticized for having a lackluster product pipeline by analysts and the Street in recent months. But for Deckers chief executive officer Dave Powers, this isn’t an issue for its star running brand Hoka. Indeed, on the product front, Hoka is driving growth and consumer acquisition through innovative updates and new introductions across a diverse assortment of footwear. Footwear News Deckers Brands HOKA Nike Dave Powers #running #hoka #runningshoe #earnings #sneakers #nike #marathon

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The Wall Street Journal, Saks Owner to Buy Neiman Marcus—With Help From Amazon. Retail rivals to combine in $2.65 billion deal to woo luxury shoppers. The parent of Saks Fifth Avenue sealed a $2.65 billion deal to buy rival Neiman Marcus, according to people familiar with the matter, creating a powerhouse in luxury retailing that seeks to hang onto wealthy shoppers—all with a little help from Amazon.com AMZN -1.21%decrease; red down pointing triangle . The boards of both companies have approved the transaction and an announcement could come as soon as this evening, the people said. The department-store chains had been negotiating for months and had explored a combination several times over the years. Both have struggled as some consumers spent less on pricey goods and fashion brands opened their own flagship stores. The combined company would have about $10 billion in annual sales, the people said. Luxury behemoth LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, which owns Louis Vuitton and dozens of other brands, had sales of about $94 billion last year. Amazon would take a minority stake in the new company, which will be called Saks Global, and plans to provide it with technology and logistical expertise, the people said. Salesforce is another minority shareholder. Saks already does business with both tech companies, so the transaction would deepen existing partnerships, one of the people said. HBC, a holding company that bought Saks in 2013, is financing the deal with $2 billion it raised from existing investors, the people said. They include Rhône Capital, the Abu Dhabi Investment Council and NRDC Equity Partners, a private-equity firm run by Richard Baker, HBC’s executive chairman, and his son Jack Baker. Affiliates of Apollo Global Management APO -0.20%decrease; red down pointing triangle are providing $1.15 billion in debt financing. By Suzanne Kapner and Lauren Thomas #retail #thefutureofretail #luxuryretail #jobs #management https://lnkd.in/eT5qEiWk

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One day after EssilorLuxottica announced its deal to acquire Supreme from VF Corporation, Meta, Facebook's owner, is in talks to acquire a stake of about 5% in the eyewear company. Based on recent market value, a roughly 5% stake could be valued at around $5 billion, a relatively small for Meta, given its market value of around $1.2 trillion. EssilorLuxottica makes Meta's Ray Ban smart glasses and sales of the glasses have exceeded expectations. The devices, an important part of Meta’s hardware strategy, allow users to take photos and listen to music with the frames of their glasses, among other features. Maintaining ties with Luxottica is crucial for the success of smart glasses devices and the company’s ambitions to build the so-called metaverse, which is a term used to describe people interacting in a 3-D version of the internet simultaneously. A third generation of Ray-Ban Meta glasses, expected to include a small screen display, is expected to be ready for consumers in time for the 2025 holiday season. The allure of Luxottica’s Ray-Ban brand is important to the success of a tech device that users are expected to wear on their faces. Luxottica’s ownership of LensCrafters, the prescription-eyewear retailer, also plays a key role in selling the Ray-Ban Meta to users who require prescription lenses. The two companies began working together several years ago for the release of the first generation Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses, which went on sale in 2021. The initial device struggled to catch on with consumers, and among the glasses that were sold, only 10% of the Ray-Ban Stories were actively used by their purchasers. The second-generation Ray-Ban Meta glasses went on sale in September and have done significantly better than their predecessors. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses operate more quickly and have better cameras than their predecessor. The Ray-Ban Meta also includes nascent generative #AI technology that allows users to ask the device for information about the things in front of them, such as the breed of a cat. The Ray-Ban Meta glasses have proven popular for users who want to shoot hands-free videos of their children playing and first-person videos of themselves while going on roller coasters or riding bikes. Meta hasn’t said how well the Ray-Ban Meta glasses have sold, but CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in April that the device was doing well and that a market for that type of device was developing sooner than he would have expected. Meta sells its own devices to employees at a discount, and offers the Ray-Ban Meta glasses at a 15% discount with a limit of 3 pairs per employee. The new glasses have proven so popular internally that some employees have tried to get extra pairs from their colleagues after hitting the 3-pair limit. #strategy #technology #smartdevice https://lnkd.in/ePwG-bSc?

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The resale market for the most exclusive sneakers has grown exponentially in recent years. It is a dynamic ecosystem where the culture of collecting and fashion merges with complex market strategies. Supply and demand determine prices and availability, but luck also plays an important role. After dedicating himself to sourcing the best sneakers to resell them on specialized platforms such as StockX and GOAT, David Camprubi Buxeda decided to focus entirely on his company Newcop Store, which had a turnover of almost 6 million euros at the end of its last financial year in 2023. How has your business model evolved from digital to physical channels?

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