Parisian Store to Br... ?

[brgrowth]

According to bizjournals.com the Saks Inc. store Parisian will be in Br:

www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2006/07/24/daily11.html

Saks Inc. plans to break ground in summer 2007 on a new Parisian in Baton Rouge, La., the retailer announced today. The two-story, 120,000-square-foot store will anchor mixed-use lifestyle center Perkins Rowe, currently under construction and scheduled to open in spring 2007.

The new Parisian, which will be the only one in Louisiana, is slated to open in spring 2008.

According to a press release from Birmingham-based Saks (NYSE: SKS), Perkins Rowe will have shops, restaurants, theaters, offices and residential units. It is a development of JTS Properties LLC of Urbana, Ill.

The new store will employ approximately 150, according to Saks.

Parisian carries clothing, shoes, accessories, cosmetics and gifts. It offers limited distribution of specialty brands such as Free People, Tommy Bahama, Bobbi Brown, Donald Pliner, Kate Spade, Cole Haan and Coach.

Saks Inc. operates 38 Parisians throughout the Southeast and Midwest. It is also planning new Parisian stores in Birmingham, Prattville, Little Rock, Ark., Detroit, and Jackson, Miss.

In addition to Parisian, Saks operates Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises, which consists of 54 Saks Fifth Avenue stores, 50 Saks Off Fifth stores, and saks.com. It also operates 62 Club Libby Lu stores.

In January 2006, Saks announced that it was "exploring strategic alternatives" for its Parisian stores, which suggests that the stores could be sold.

Saks sold its Proffitt's/McRae's stores to privately held Belk Department Stores in a deal that closed July 2, 2005, for $622 million in cash plus the assumption of certain liabilities. It later sold its Northern Department Store Group to The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. for $1.1 billion in cash plus the assumption of approximately $85 million of liabilities.

[richyb83]

Thanks for posting this BRGrowth. So it's official.... I was not aware it would be the only one in Louisiana. A nice anchor store for PR, I'm guessing it's still going on the east-end near the little Magnolia Park??

I guess Perkins Rowe "urban viilage" will become like a downtown for SE BR??

We will have to revive the Perkins Rowe thread on the other page. I hear it's looking really nice!

[Manolos]

Thats a really old article. Saks sold Parisian to Belks. If they are indeed planning to open a store, it will be a Belk, and not a Parisian.

[hagetaka]

ahh, I was about to get excited, but Parisian's no longer exist? I remember seeing some in Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, but since then... Belk's is ok too!

[Gauge]

ahh, I was about to get excited, but Parisian's no longer exist? I remember seeing some in Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, but since then... Belk's is ok too!

[dinner roll]

Baton Rouge had a Parisian a few years back at the Mall of LA (now Macy's). It wasn't that great.

Since there's nothing about Parisian listed on the Perkins Rowe website, I'm guessing that this isn't happening.

[byrde]

Since I don't know much about department stores, I asked my fiance what she thought about Parisian (before I knew this story was old news). She was very disappointed to hear that a Parisian would be going into Perkins Rowe. She claimed they are kind of a lower end deparment store. She is holding out hope for an upscale department store either in Perkins Rowe or the Mall of Louisiana (The Boulevard maybe???). I tend to agree with her. Baton Rouge already has several lower end department stores in both the Mall of LA, and Cortana. However, Baton Rouge does not really have any high end department store.

[Gauge]

When did Macy's go lower end???

Parisian's still exist in Alabama. Saw one over the weekend while in Birmingham.

[Manolos]

I wouldn't say Parisian is "low-end." Its not on the same level as Sears, Kohl's, JC Penney, Mervyn's etc. But on average, not as nice as most Macy's, Lord & Taylor, Dillard's. In some markets, its comparable to a lower-end Macy's. Most Macy's are classified a midscale stores, but Macy's also vary a lot. In some markets, a Parisian may be nicer than a Macy's. The flagship Macy's in NYC is going to be much different than a run-of-the-mill mall Macy's in Alabama. But Macy's isn't "low-end" at all.

Parisian's still exist, of course. They are rebranding them as Belk over the course of the next year or so. Most are going to be rebranded this fall and winter and into early 2008. They won't be opening any new Parisians, all will be Belk.

[JPKneworleans]

I don't consider Parisian to be low-end. Belk, on the other hand, is low end. I think all Parisian stores are becoming Belks.

[jeb1974]

I don't consider Parisian to be low-end. Belk, on the other hand, is low end. I think all Parisian stores are becoming Belks.

[JSTUS]

I never liked the Parisian quality when they were here before. I've been to Belk in Shreveport and their quality was along the level of JcPenny. We'll see how they do here.

[brgrowth]

I've never been to a Parisian, but I know some still exist like in Atlanta. The Stonecrest Mall there has one.

[jeb1974]

I've never been to a Parisian, but I know some still exist like in Atlanta. The Stonecrest Mall there has one.