Bloomingdale's

Bloomingdale's Inc. is an American luxury department store chain founded in 1861 by Joseph Bloomingdale and Lyman Bloomingdale. It was acquired by Federated Department Stores in 1930, which acquired the Macy’s department store chain in 1994, when they became sister brands. Ultimately, Federated itself was renamed Macy’s, Inc. in 2007.

Bloomingdale's Inc.
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryRetail
Founded1861 (1861)
FoundersJoseph B. Bloomingdale
Lyman G. Bloomingdale
Headquarters59th Street and Lexington Avenue,
New York City, New York
,
U.S.
Number of locations
58 (Q3 2023)[1]
Area served
Key people
Tony Spring (chairman and CEO)
Products
  • Clothing
  • footwear
  • leather goods
  • jewelry
  • cosmetics
  • fragrances
  • bedding
  • bath
  • furniture
  • home decor
  • housewares
  • cafe
RevenueUS$1.072 billion
ParentMacy's, Inc.
Websitewww.bloomingdales.com

As of the end of 2023 the chain has a total of 32 owned department stores in the U.S. and 3 franchised stores in Dubai and Kuwait; 21 outlet stores (all in the U.S.), and 2 Bloomie's by Bloomingdales concept stores.[1]

Its headquarters and flagship store are located at 59th Street and Lexington Avenue in the New York City borough of Manhattan. [2][3]

History

The historic Lexington Avenue flagship store in Midtown Manhattan

Founding (1861)

The first Bloomingdale's was founded in New York City by Benjamin Bloomingdale and his son Lyman Bloomingdale in 1861 in its Lower East Side area, originally under the name Bloomingdale's Hoopskirts, initially focused on selling hoop skirts and European fashions. The brothers quickly identified opportunities for growth and expansion in the dynamic retail landscape of the time.In 1872, Lyman and his brother Joseph opened a second location called Bloomingdale's Great East Side Bazaar in Midtown Manhattan at 965 Third Avenue, between 56th & 57th Sts. The Bazaar later moved into three adjacent buildings further up the block before finally moving into a building at 59th St. and Third Avenue, where its flagship store remains today.[4]

Relocations and Expansion (1860s-1890s)

In the subsequent years, Bloomingdale's underwent a series of relocations and expansions. The brothers moved the store from its original location to a larger space on 59th Street and Third Avenue. As the business flourished, necessitating more significant retail space, the store moved once again to its iconic location at 59th Street and Lexington Avenue in 1886. This move marked a turning point, solidifying the store's position as a prominent retail destination.[4]

In 1872, the store changed its name to "Bloomingdale's", reflecting the family name but also symbolized the flourishing and growth of their business.

Joseph Bloomingdale retired from the company in 1896, giving his brother Lyman full control, and Lyman's sons Hiram and Samuel inherited his shares upon his death in 1905.

20th century

As the 20th century dawned, Bloomingdale's embraced innovative retail practices. The introduction of the department store window display in the late 19th century set a trend, making the store more visually appealing and attracting attention from passersby. This approach contributed to the store's reputation for being fashion-forward.[4]

By 1902, the store grew to occupy 80 percent of the city block between 58th St. and 59th St. to the north and south, and Third Avenue and Lexington Avenue to the east and west.[5]

After the New York City Subway debuted, the store's primary entrance was shifted to its Lexington Avenue side in 1918 to draw customers coming from the nearby IRT Lexington Avenue Line stop at 59th Street and Lexington Avenue. Given that the U.S. was involved in World War I, Samuel Bloomingdale gave the American Red Cross free use of an entire floor there until the war ended. By 1927, after acquiring all the remaining portions along it, Bloomingdale's controlled 100 percent of the block, expanding the store's size to 84,000 square feet (later nearly quadrupled via newly added floor space).[5]

Like most publicly traded companies, Bloomingdale's faced severe financial problems following the Black Tuesday stock market crash in 1929, and it merged with the newly created Federated Department Stores in early 1930, which helped it survive the Great Depression.[4]

1945–1960: American Designers and Fashion Influence

After World War II, Bloomingdale's played a crucial role in shaping post-war American fashion. The store actively engaged with European designers and trends, as well as promoting American designers, and was an influencer in fashion trends and the evolution of American fashion sensibilities. This period marked a phase of continued growth and influence for Bloomingdale's, solidifying its status as a premier department store. By the 1950s, Bloomingdale's had become an established and influential retail institution. The store's commitment to offering a wide range of high-quality merchandise and its role in shaping fashion trends laid the foundation for its continued growth and legacy in the decades to come.[4]

First branch stores

In 1947, and tandem with America's economic boom after World War II, Bloomingdale's opened its first store outside of Manhattan in New Rochelle, a New York City suburb, where it assumed control of the former Ware's Department Store. After concluding that using pre-existing buildings could have been a better fit with its tried-and-true floor layouts, the company debuted its first custom-built store in 1949, located in the Fresh Meadows neighborhood across the East River in Queens. Over 25,000 people visited on its first day of business.[5]

1960-1975

During the 1960s, Bloomingdale's shifted its merchandise mix to incorporate haute couture fashions imported from Paris and home furnishings from Italy. It also launched its first single designer-specific department in 1969, for Halston, one that was quickly followed later that year by a dedicated Polo Ralph Lauren boutique in its men's store. By the early 1970s, Bloomingdale's had begun embracing avant-garde European design, and following the United Nations recognition of China in 1971, it became the first American retailer to sell products from Communist-era China. Its iconic rounded logo debuted in 1972, followed a year later by its "Big Brown Bag" and "Little Brown Bag," all of which remain in use today. Bloomingdale's continued to thrive throughout the 1970s, despite New York City's turbulence at the time, partly via continued expansions into the suburbs. Its largest branch opened in White Plains, New York in 1975, with 260,000 square feet of floor space, and shortly after that, Bloomingdale's shuttered its original, but much smaller, New Rochelle branch.[5]

Expansion beyond New York area

In 1976, Bloomingdale's launched its first store outside of the New York City area in Tysons, Virginia, a suburb of Washington, D.C. in Northern Virginia. The First Lady at the time, Betty Ford, attended its opening as its guest of honor.[5]

In 1981, Bloomingdale's opened a branch at the King of Prussia Mall in suburban Philadelphia, then the largest mall in the world. Other new stores opened as well, along the East Coast, Florida, Chicago, and in Dallas, Texas. [6] In 1988, Canadian real estate developer Robert Campeau launched a hostile takeover attempt of the company, successfully acquiring it for $6.6 billion: it was the largest non-oil corporate merger ever at the time.[5]

Economic challenges (1990s)

Bloomingdale's faced continued economic challenges in the early 1990s, resulting in the closures of its Dallas, Fresh Meadows, and Stamford, Connecticut locations. In 1994, Federated Stores acquired the entire Macy's chain, which had been in bankruptcy for two years. In 1996, Bloomingdale's expanded to the U.S. West Coast, converting four former chains of The Broadway, which it acquired via its merger with Macy's, in Southern California into Bloomingdale's stores in a single day.[5] Bloomingdale's continued growth and shuttering of duplicative locations stemming from Macy's merger.

21st century

Map of Bloomingdale's locations as of October 2015

In 2004, the company returned once again to downtown Manhattan, opening an 82,000-square-foot store – featuring an "edited" selection of the flagship store's offerings – in SoHo.

In 2007, Bloomingdale’s expanded into San Diego (Fashion Valley) and Costa Mesa (South Coast Plaza), once again by replacing former Robinsons-May stores that closed in 2006, in each case because there were already existing Macy's stores in each mall. In 2006, Bloomingdale's opened its largest store save its Manhattan flagship in San Francisco's Union Square, 330,000 sq ft (31,000 m2) in area.

On June 1, 2007, Federated Stores changed its corporate name to Macy's, given its more robust name recognition, but left its Bloomingdale's store names intact.[5]

On February 14, 2008, parent company Macy's, Inc. announced plans to enter the Phoenix market with a 180,000-square-foot store by 2009.[7] Arizona would have been the thirteenth state to have a Bloomingdale's store location, with this store being the tenth in the western U.S. and 41st throughout the chain.[8] This store never materialized as a result of the Great Recession in 2008 and 2009.

In May 2008, Bloomingdale's began the phase-out of its Bloomingdale's By Mail catalog to greater emphasize its rapidly growing online presence at bloomingdales.com. On September 10, 2008, Macy's announced plans to open three new Bloomingdale's stores, two modeled after its SoHo store. One was intended to be a three-level 82,000-square-foot (7,600 m2) anchor store at The Shops at Georgetown Park in Washington, D.C.,[9] but the plan collapsed after the mall's parent company declared bankruptcy. The other two stores were completed, including a new 150,000 sq ft (14,000 m2) branch at Westfield Valley Fair in San Jose, California, [10] and a 205,000 sq ft (19,000 m2) store in Santa Monica Place, in Santa Monica, CA. The latter debuted in early 2010. San Jose's debut was delayed until 2020, primarily due to the Great Recession, and Santa Monica closed in 2021 due to subpar performance.[5]

In February 2010, Macy's launched Bloomingdale's first international location in Dubai. As is the case for rival Saks Fifth Avenue, the global presence for Bloomingdale's is operated under license by a local interest: in this case, Al Tayer Group LLC, a leading UAE-based conglomerate.[11] Bloomingdale's CEO announced that the Dubai store would most likely be the only store outside of the U.S.[12] (The company's leaders later had a change of heart, and opened a branch in Kuwait in 2017.) Later in 2010, the company launched its first outlet store at Potomac Mills, located outside of Washington, D.C.[5]

In 2012, Macy's Inc. closed four Bloomingdale's stores, one each in the Minneapolis (Mall of America), Atlanta (Perimeter), Washington DC (White Flint), and Chicago (Oak Brook) areas.[13][14]

In late 2019, Macy's announced that fur would no longer be sold in any of its stores, including Bloomingdale's department & outlet stores, as of the end of the 2020 fiscal year.[15]

As part of an initiative to better establish its New York flagship store as a "retail destination," designed to allure shoppers who primarily purchase department store goods online, Bloomingdale's introduced new departments and offerings throughout the decade, including a branch of Magnolia Bakery and a boutique for Sarah Jessica Parker's SJC Collection shoe line. It was the first department store in New York to offer the latter. In 2018 and 2019, Bloomingdale's remodeled nearly 200,000 square feet inside the store, wholly revamping its denim, cosmetics, shoes, and women's contemporary clothing departments.[5]

In March 2020, Macy's, Inc. announced that it would temporarily close all Bloomingdale's and Macy's locations as a result of the rapidly spreading COVID-19 pandemic.[16] Its original plan to reopen at the end of March quickly evaporated due to the pandemic's rapid spread, as did its intent to do so by the end of April 2020: as was the case with most brick-and-mortar retailers, Macy's ended up closing some of its stores for a year or more, with reopening days that varied depending on their locations. Some did not reopen until late 2021.

On September 9, 2022, Bloomingdale's celebrated its 150th anniversary, featuring a variety of special events and unique merchandise offerings through the end of the year at its Manhattan flagship location.[5]

Timeline of department store openings

Year
Opened/
Closed
# Mall or district City Metro Area State (US) or
country
Gross
floor
area
(sq ft)
Type Remarks
1886open159th StreetNew YorkNew YorkNew York850,000L
19471977554 Main StreetNew RochelleNew YorkNew York110,000Building was previously Ware's Dept. Store. Closed in 1977 after nearby White Plains store opened in 1975.[17] Functioned for a time afterwards as a furniture outlet.[18]
19491991Fresh MeadowsQueensNew YorkNew York149,000At opening, 106,325 sq.ft., did not sell furniture or large applicances. Two stories plus basement. Architects Voorhees, Walker, Foley and Smith. Town-and-country suburban architectural theme, grey brick, white marble.[19][20]
1959open5Shops at RiversideHackensackNew YorkNew Jersey292,000O
1967open6Short HillsShort HillsNew YorkNew Jersey246,000GL
19711982Manhasset furniture storeManhasset, L.I.New YorkNew YorkClosed after the openine of nearby store in Garden City[21]
19711982Eastchester furniture storeEastchesterNew YorkNew YorkClosed after the openine of nearby store in White Plains[21]
1973open11Mall at Chestnut Hill Home/Men'sChestnut HillBostonMassachusetts124,000O
1975open12White PlainsWhite PlainsNew YorkNew York296,000O
1976open14Tysons Corner CenterMcLeanVirginiaWashington DC268,000L
1981open16King of Prussia (Court)King of PrussiaPhiladelphiaPennsylvania250,000O
1982open17Willow Grove ParkWillow GrovePhiladelphiaPennsylvania239,000O
19831990[22]Valley View CenterDallasDallas–Ft. WorthTexas220,378
1986open2Town Center at Boca RatonBoca RatonMiami-FtL-WPBFlorida270,000O
1988open8North Michigan Ave.ChicagoChicagoIllinois270,000L
1990open10The Gardens MallPalm Beach GardensMiami-FtL-WPBFlorida235,000GL
1990[22] Stamford Stamford New York Connecticut
1995open27Roosevelt FieldGarden CityNew YorkNew York314,000L
1996open28Century CityLos AngelesLos AngelesCalifornia232,000L
1996open30Fashion IslandNewport BeachLos AngelesCalifornia172,000GL
1996open30Fashion Island HomeNewport BeachLos AngelesCalifornia68,000L
1996open29Sherman OaksSherman OaksLos AngelesCalifornia228,000O
1997open3Aventura MallAventuraMiami-FtL-WPBFlorida252,000GL
1997open32Beverly CenterLos AngelesLos AngelesCalifornia163,000L
1998open4Walt Whitman MallHuntingtonNew YorkNew York231,000L
2002open24Bridgewater CommonsBridgewaterNew YorkNew Jersey161,000L
2002open20Mall at MilleniaOrlandoOrlandoFlorida236,000O
2002open37WillowbrookWayneNew YorkNew Jersey255,000O
2003open55Lenox SquareAtlantaAtlantaGeorgia281,000L
2003 2020 Medinah Temple Chicago Chicago Illinois Home and Furniture Store in a historic building in the Near North Side, Chicago. June 2019 sold building to Chicago developer Al Friedman. Vacated September 2020.[23]
2003[24]2012Perimeter MallDunwoodyAtlantaGeorgia
2004open53SohoNew YorkNew YorkNew York121,000L
2006open61Fashion ValleySan DiegoSan Diego–TijuanaCalifornia225,000GL
2006open11Mall at Chestnut Hill Women'sChestnut HillBostonMassachusetts186,000O
2006open22San Francisco CentreSan FranciscoSan Francisco Bay AreaCalifornia335,000O
2007open62South Coast PlazaCosta MesaLos AngelesCalifornia291,000O
2007open34Wisconsin PlaceChevy ChaseWashington DCMaryland190,000O
20102021Santa Monica PlaceSanta MonicaLos AngelesCalifornia205,000Closed due to subpar performance[5]
2010 open n/a Dubai Mall Dubai Dubai  UAE 146,000 F Main store
2010 open n/a Dubai Mall Dubai Dubai  UAE 54,000 F Home store
2013 open 60 Glendale Galleria Glendale Los Angeles California 112,000 L Opened as part of the mall's remodel, replacing Mervyn's.[25][26]
2014open31Stanford Shopping CenterPalo AltoSan Francisco Bay AreaCalifornia124,000GL
2015 open 58 Ala Moana Center Honolulu Honolulu Hawaiʻi 164,000 L On November 12, 2015, Bloomingdale's opened its first store in Hawaii. The three-story store replaced a former Sears and includes special services such as smart fitting rooms, charging lounges, and a 40 Carrots restaurant.[27]
2017openn/a360 MallAl ZahraKuwait. Kuwait93,000F
2019open46SoNo CollectionNorwalkNew YorkConnecticut153,000L
2020open50Samanea MallWestburyNew YorkNew York25,000L
2020open57Valley FairSan JoseSan Francisco Bay AreaCalifornia144,000O
1990[22]StamfordStamfordNew YorkConnecticut
2012Mall of AmericaBloomingtonMinneapolis–St. PaulMinnesotaOn January 4, 2012, Macy's announced it would close these four Bloomingdale's stores.[13][14]
2012Oakbrook Center Home StoreOak BrookChicagoIllinois
2012White Flint MallNorth BethesdaWashington DCMaryland259,000[28]

Notes to Table[1]

Partial list (stores open at end 2023, plus 4 that closed in 2012)

Store Type:

  • F=Franchise of Dubai-based Al Tayer Insignia
  • GL=Ground Lease - Represents store properties where Macy's was involved with the construction of the building on leased land. Macy's Inc. generally has all of the attributes of ownership of these properties for the term of the lease.
  • L=Leased - Represents store properties where Macy's Inc. leases the building and land.
  • O=Owned - Represents store properties where Macy's Inc. owns the building and land. May also include a small amount of leased premises, such as additional space, kiosk or small shop real estate.

References

  1. "Spreadsheet attachment to page "Store Count"". Macy's Inc. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  2. "Funeral Services Today for E. W. Bloomingdale, Well Known Merchant". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. February 8, 1928. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  3. "History of Federated Department Stores, Inc. – FundingUniverse". www.fundinguniverse.com.
  4. Traub, Marvin (December 23, 1993). "How did a second tier New York department store called Bloomingdale's —where the city's domes..." NPR. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  5. "Bloomingdale's Through the Years". WWD. September 9, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  6. "Bloomingdale Plans Cuts". The New York Times. June 6, 1990. Retrieved August 7, 2007.
  7. "Bloomingdale's to Open First Store in Phoenix". businesswire.com. February 14, 2008. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  8. "Bloomingdale's to Open First Store in Phoenix". Macy's, Inc. February 14, 2008. Retrieved March 4, 2008.
  9. Devaney, Robert (January 23, 2012). "The Decline and Fall of Georgetown Park". The Georgetowner. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  10. "First look inside Westfield Valley Fair's new Bloomingdale's". The Mercury News. March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  11. "Bloomingdale's to Open in Dubai in 2010". Macy's, Inc. September 22, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
  12. Lancsak, Angelika. "Bloomingdale's Dubai likely to be only one outside US - CEO - Retail". ArabianBusiness.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2010. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  13. "Bloomingdale's at Mall of America closing; space to be divided". Twin Cities. January 3, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
  14. "Macy's, Inc. Announces Store Openings and Closings". Macy's, Inc. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  15. Leticia Miranda, "Macy's, Bloomingdale's to stop selling fur," NBC News, October 22, 2019.
  16. Tyko, Kelly. "Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue closing all stores because of coronavirus". USA Today. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  17. "30-Year-Old Branch of Bloomingdale's Will Be Closed Down in New Rochelle". The New York Times. January 7, 1977. p. 25. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  18. "The Standard-Star". Newspapers.com. January 6, 1977. p. 1. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  19. "Bloomingdale's Is Closing Store in Queens, Its First Branch". The New York Times. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  20. "Bloomingdale's Is Closing Store in Queens, Its First Branch". The New York Times. May 22, 1949. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  21. "Bloomingdale's closing store in Eastchester". The Herald Statesman. January 8, 1982. p. 26. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  22. "Store closing". Austin American-Statesman. June 6, 1990. p. 23. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  23. "Landmark Medinah Temple to be redeveloped". Chicago Tribune. June 14, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  24. "Bloomingdale's Leaving Perimeter". The Atlanta Constitution. January 5, 2012. p. A11.
  25. "MarketWatch.com". MarketWatch.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  26. "Glendale Galleria Announces Bloomingdale's Department Store - CHICAGO, Nov. 3, 2011/PRNewswire/" (Press release). Illinois. PR Newswire. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  27. Moriki, Darin (June 30, 2015). "Hawaii's first Bloomingdale's to open in November at Ala Moana Center". Pacific Business News.
  28. "Bye-bye White Flint...Updated...So-long Bloomies: Bloomingdale's at White Flint Mall to Close this Spring - Why this Location?". www.slslaw.com. Retrieved February 12, 2024.

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