Henri Bendel Ditches clothing for accessories as well as Beauty, plans to broaden

In response to some tough economic circumstances, Henri Bendel‘s parent-company CEO Leslie Wexner has opted to eschew the high-end clothing market in favor of focusing their stores only on accessories, beauty products, as well as gifts. Bendel‘s is one of the very first major high-end retailers to make such a drastic move to enhance their business designs in the country’s present economic climate, as well as one has to question – will the danger pay off?

I have a bit of a feeling that it might. Personally, when I go into a high-end retailer, I almost never look at ready-to-wear. I head directly to the shoes, handbags, as well as makeup, as well as stats state that I’m not almost the only one that does precisely that. Those product classifications are far as well as away the most profitable as well as prominent ones at any type of similar type of retailer (or any type of high-end brand that makes them, for that matter), largely since they’re the kinds of products that are accessible to the largest number of customers.

I honestly couldn’t care less if my regional Neiman Marcus brought any type of garments at all, as long as the keep the bags as well as shoes front as well as center. There’s a great deal of expense connected with stocking as well as showing product that takes up that much space, as well as if the area can be much better filled by things that a larger number of clients would rather look at, then hey, why not? It’s so crazy, it’s logical. What not may be rational rather yet, though, are their plans to boost their overall number of places by 150% (which, in this case, means from 4 to 10) to a number of shopping centers across America – may it not be prudent to sit back as well as see if the product shift works first?

Via WWD