Lenox Square/Phipps Plaza

[andremurra]

YAY!! Its about time we get a Dolce & Gabbana in this part of the country. I wonder if the MJ will be a Marc by Marc Jacobs or an actual Marc Jacobs? (both are usually referred to as Marc Jacobs, but either is fine with me). Savannah's Marc has the best polo shirts out there!

[sun234]

I just was reading that the clubhouse had closed at lenox Square. Has anyone heard any buzz around the mall? My guess is that it's the sign of the times, but we will see.

Drew

[Kenneth Disraili-Jean]

Madwell, Michael Kors, and Bulgari are now open, in additon to that Pottery Barn has opened on level one and is the largest in the chain. Also Victoria's Secret is enlarging their store to make it the third largest in the chain.

I assume 7 For All Mankind, Faconnable, and Ed Hardy are under construction. And there has been no more word on the Zegna Boutique.

As far as Wikipedia/PhippsPlaza.com, Dolce & Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, and Prada have been removed from their website.

On the Phipps Plaza website, all that is mentioned is Valentino opening fall of 2008 and Vera Bradley coming soon.

Also of interest the Versace Boutique has closed on level one of the Saks wing and relocated in the former Sharper Image space while their boutique is gutted and undergoes a massive multi-million dollar renovation.

Edited September 22, 2008 by kennethdisraili

[Temeteron]

i cant wait to see what the versace store will look like when it is complete!!! Any new announcements?

[Kenneth Disraili-Jean]

Vera Bradley and Valentino are now open at Phipps Plaza.

7 For All Mankind is now open at Lenox Square.

[Martinman]

According to the Repeat Atl blog, the Faconnable boutique was pushed back to May '09 due to a delay in Victoria Secret's new store. It also reports that luxury hosiery retailer Wolford is scheduled to open a store at Phipps and that Thomas Pink is said to be in talks for space at Lenox.

[J0e]

According to the Repeat Atl blog, the Faconnable boutique was pushed back to May '09 due to a delay in Victoria Secret's new store. It also reports that luxury hosiery retailer Wolford is scheduled to open a store at Phipps and that Thomas Pink is said to be in talks for space at Lenox.

Does anyone think that Lenox would land another Spanish retailer? Mango, or MNG by Mango as it is referred to in the US?

[101_ce]

I think it is annoying when people think that Belk is not upscale at all. I do agree with them that thier stores are a JCPenney with cosmetic counters-but that is just for the small town stores. Some of their stores can carry Lacoste, Tommy Bahama, Lucky, and Michael Kors, just like Nordstrom does. Does the Phipps Belk have these brands yet? How is it? I have only been there once-a couple months after it was coverted to Belk.

[Temeteron]

I think it is annoying when people think that Belk is not upscale at all. I do agree with them that thier stores are a JCPenney with cosmetic counters-but that is just for the small town stores. Some of their stores can carry Lacoste, Tommy Bahama, Lucky, and Michael Kors, just like Nordstrom does. Does the Phipps Belk have these brands yet? How is it? I have only been there once-a couple months after it was coverted to Belk.

The Phipps Belk is nowhere near as nice as the SouthPark Belk....its horrible actually compared to any dept store at Lenox/Phipps.......feels really out of date if you ask me....you walk into Saks and youre in Spring 2009, then you walk into Belk and it feels like youre in Fall 1991

[perimeter285]

It has teal neon - need we say anything else?

[101_ce]

I thought it may be better because ive been to the SouthPark Belk before and I was disappointed with the Phipps one. I saw on wikipedia that Phipps is getting a D&G and Prada. Is this true? I think Lenox needs a Ruehl & Gilly Hicks. It would be cool because the closest Ruehl is Tysons or Aventura and the closest Gilly is Aventura or eventually Tysons.

[perimeter285]

I thought it may be better because ive been to the SouthPark Belk before and I was disappointed with the Phipps one. I saw on wikipedia that Phipps is getting a D&G and Prada. Is this true? I think Lenox needs a Ruehl & Gilly Hicks. It would be cool because the closest Ruehl is Tysons or Aventura and the closest Gilly is Aventura or eventually Tysons.

Both of those stores would be excellent for Lenox, however I have heard that parent company Abercrombie is not really in expansion mode right now especially on the Ruehl brand. Since Gilly Hicks is so new, they'll probably wait until we start coming out of the recession to expand further.

I'd like to see a lifestyle component added to the Peachtree front of Lenox, tying it into the streetscape of Peachtree. Stores that are not in Atlanta yet such as Billy Reid (closest stores are Nashville and Charleston), Bose (surprised that there isn't one already), CH Carolina Herrera (rumored to be interested in SOB), Custo Barcelona (closest store is in Tampa), DeBeers, Free People (closest store is DC), Wolford (closest store is in Tampa), Original Penguin, Marciano (parent designer boutique of Guess, closest location is in Jacksonville), Swatch, Buckle (closest is North Point in Alpharetta) would be good fits as tenants.

Other high-end stores that still have not committed to Atlanta, but that I would like to see are Chanel, Emporio Armani, Yves St. Laurent, Fendi, Christofle, Dior, Zegna, Futuretronics, Marc Jacobs, Prada, and of course Barney's.

Streets of Buckhead will take Atlanta to the next retailing level and I hope Simon competes by making Lenox more interactive with its urban setting. As far as Phipps, I think they will hold their own. I sure hope so as Phipps, to me, is one of the most beautiful malls in the country (with the exception of Belk).

Edited December 19, 2008 by perimeter285

[atlrvr]

I didn't ask about a specific location, but Billy Reid is eyeing a Atlanta expansion in the near future....this was straight from Billy's mouth several months ago. I believe he said they had been eyeing the market for a while but couldn't get/handn't found the ideal location until recently. Like I said, this was several months ago, so I don't know if the economy will delay plans, but it is a great store they will do well in Atlanta.

[101_ce]

When is Belk getting better? My Belk in Asheville at Asheville Mall probably has more high end brands than Phipps. I didnt see any Lacoste or Tommy Bahama at Phipps, but they have them at mine.

[Lady Celeste]

Belk? There is a Belk at Phipps Plaza? Really?

Seriously, Belk will probably never be better at Phipps. Not many Atlantans who are familar with the retail environment shop there anyway. I mean really, if you want Lacoste, Nordstrom is at the same center. Also, there is an actual LaCoste store right across the street and a fabulous Macy's as well. If you are not in Buckhead, drive a few miles north on GA400 and there is another LaCoste store at Perimeter Mall...and they have a Macy's as well. Trust me, we are not upset with Belk not carrying Lacoste...

[StevenRocks]

When is Belk getting better? My Belk in Asheville at Asheville Mall probably has more high end brands than Phipps. I didnt see any Lacoste or Tommy Bahama at Phipps, but they have them at mine.

I'm not sure what's going on at Belk. It would seem they'd would want to make a better impression at Phipps, but there could be some internal things holifng them back, like getting vendors to commit to that location.

[Lady Celeste]

I'm not sure what's going on at Belk. It would seem they'd would want to make a better impression at Phipps, but there could be some internal things holifng them back, like getting vendors to commit to that location.

Hi Steven:

For those of us who are not proficient on retail establishments as yourself, can you expand on you what mean? I would think that Phipps Plaza would be a plum location. This Belk is supposed to be a flagship location.

[george]

I wonder how the Belk at Phipps compares with the new "upscale Belk" in Macon.

[Lady Celeste]

I wonder how the Belk at Phipps compares with the new "upscale Belk" in Macon.

The Belk at Phipps Plaza, the one at SouthPark Mall in Charlotte, the one at Crabtree in Raleigh and the one at The Summit in Birmingham were all supposed to be flagship locations. There are currently only four such designations if I'm not mistaken. If in fact the Phipps location is a flagship store then I would imagine it to be above the "upscale Belk" in Macon.

Then again maybe to some markets it is upscale. In a market where this location competes directly with the southeast flagship store for Macy's (Lenox), Bloomingdales(Lenox), Nordstrom(Phipps), Saks Fifth Avenue(Phipps), Barney's CO-OP (Phipps) and Nieman Marcus(Lenox)...among the plethroa of boutiques...all these stores are within a 1200 foot radius of this Belk. If this is in fact a flagship then Belk either proved itself true to it's midmarket nature, under estimated the Atlanta market or did not deliever on the promise made by the CEO himself. I don;t like calling people liars butttttttt it seems like someone was blowing smoke in a not so nice place.

[StevenRocks]

Hi Steven:

For those of us who are not proficient on retail establishments as yourself, can you expand on you what mean? I would think that Phipps Plaza would be a plum location. This Belk is supposed to be a flagship location.

A lot of what you see on the salesfloors of your local department store is controlled by vendors. Companies like Ralph Lauren, Estee Lauder, Chanel, St. John and others are partners with the stores where their merchandise is featured. They negotiate for the best spaces and often pay for the upfit costs and will train store employees to sell their products. With some of the most powerful names in retail with established locations in Buckhead, the vendor agreements for the most desirable merchandise are pretty well set. Belk inherited Parisian's vendors, but would need to make a serious impression on established vendors to pull some business away from Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus et al to get the brands that people would typically expect at a Belk flagship.

[Martinman]

This is not necessarily Lenox/Phipps related but this seems like the best place to post this.

An article in this weeks Business chronicle reports that luxury retail is expected to continue to expand in Atlanta despite the tough economy. According to the article, luxury retail is just now catching up to the growth in Atlanta area wealth.

Brands that currently do not have a presence in Atlanta that are said to be looking to enter the market include Prada, Chanel, Chloe, Vera Wang, Dolce & Gabbana, and Cavalli. Some may test the market with their "lower end" stores such as Just Cavalli or the D&G store.

Brands that are said to be planning additional stores in the Atlanta area are Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, Neiman Marcus, Michael Kors, Hugo Boss, Juicy Couture and Tumi.

No locations are mentioned with any of the retailers but the article does mention Streets of Buckhead, Prospect Park, Taubman's Forsyth County Mall, and 12th & Midtown as possiblities.

Edited January 13, 2009 by Martinman

[101_ce]

I just noticed that Hermes closed. I wish they would stay at Lenox. It looks like alot of other stores are empty in the Neiman Marcus. Two store in front of Cartier are empty. I hope that the Streets at Buckhead does not steal all of Lenox & Phipps' upscale stores.

Edited March 8, 2009 by ct36

[eastatlanta119]

Hermes is moving to SOB, but you wish they would stay at Lenox, and then you say you hope SOB steals all the high end retail?

[101_ce]

Hermes is moving to SOB, but you wish they would stay at Lenox, and then you say you hope SOB steals all the high end retail?

That was an accident. I meant to say that I hope that SOB does not steal Lenox & Phipps' upscale stores. Thanks for telling me about my mistake.

[DOLCE&GABBANA]

I just noticed that Hermes closed. I wish they would stay at Lenox. It looks like alot of other stores are empty in the Neiman Marcus. Two store in front of Cartier are empty. I hope that the Streets at Buckhead does not steal all of Lenox & Phipps' upscale stores.

The stores in from of cartier are farragamo and LV there not empty the only store that is missing from niemans wing is hermes Nicole miller moved upstairs thats the only thing i know that moved from there Next year we will have notiable designers. we already have Theory, ballys Max Mara giorgio armani, Valentino , Ehlie Tahari, Gucci, St John, Hermes, ferragamo, LV, Burberry, 2 Betsey Johnson, Barneys, Hugo boss, Calvin Klien, Versace, Jimmy Choo, Tory Burch, Vera Bradley,Karen Millen, Balgavri, David Yurman, Ralph lauren, Roberto Coin Y-3, 2 stuart Wietzman ,Kate Spade,Tiffanys Saks ` 3 Nordstroms Nicole miller, Michael Kors, 2 bloomingdales niemans

Next we will have current stores plus Hermes- flagship boutique

AG Adriono Goldschmie

Bottega Veneta- flagship boutique

Dominico Vacca

Etro

Loro Piano

Luigi Borelli

Vilebrequin

The Optical Shop Of Aspen

John Lobb

Oscar de la Renta

Van Cleef & Arpels

Bacaratt- Flagship Boutique

Plus Possible expanded stores like D&G prada Niemans etc Atlanta will be on of the top places

Edited March 9, 2009 by DOLCE&GABBANA