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Anyone who buys anything from H&M realizes that it isn't made well. That is why it is so cheap. It is for people who want the trendy, high-end look who can't afford or want to spend the money on the real thing (and most people can't afford the real thing).

Trendy + Cheap = popular.

And also Haute Couture + expensive = chic

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How is that not a selling point. It has proven to be a selling point for Ikea, H&M, and everyone who falls into the cheap but trendy niche. To say this is not a selling point is quite naive. Anytime you have Cheap, Fashion, and Trendy in the sentence it guarantees to sell well.
IKEA, H&M, Target and other purveyers of cheap chic are very popular. They're bolstered by ready cash for expansion and good, if not exceptional product and store design and marketing. But even as great as they are, no company is immune to complacency, fashion missteps and the arrival of 'the next new thing.' All the cut-rate prices in the world won't save a company if the market shifts to something newer and fresher.

Never really seen a company thats failing open dozens of new stores each year.
Remember W.T. Grant? Rapid growth doesn't always mean a company is healthy, though H&M seems to be.
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I went to H&M for the first time on a recent trip to San Francisco. I was excited because I've heard some good things about it, but the fabric is so bad and everything is so ugly and poorly made.

Years ago, the quality and style was better than it today. Unfortunately, competition is getting the best of them and has hurt the product. It's still a very popular store. I've been out of town traveling to various places and any place I've seen an H&M it was packed. I'm sure Gap wishes they could get those customers. :)

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Yeah H&M definately has some trendy stuff for some low prices.....i remember we went to this nice restaurant in boston a while back and this guy had on a really nice black pullover shirt that was kindy dressy.....i asked him where he got it from and he said H&M! I was kinda suprised because I didnt realize they had such stylish clothes.

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Just out of curiousity, is the Neiman Marcus wing now completely leased, and what other stores has anyone heard that might be going specifically inside the mall?

Yes, the whole Neiman Marcus wing is completely leased with Juicy Couture, Ralph Lauren, Hermes, BCBG Max Azria, and Billy Ried. I thought this wing would have more retail spaces to it and have a higher caliber of luxury stores but I'm quite satisfied with the stores we got out of this addition. :)

Edited by DaAchiever
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Yes, the whole Neiman Marcus wing is completely leased with Juicy Couture, Ralph Lauren, Hermes, BCBG Max Azria, and Billy Ried. I thought this wing would have more retail spaces to it and have a higher caliber of luxury stores but I'm quite satisfied with the stores we got out of this addition. :)

That sounds like a terrific line-up. You have very affluent upscale retail and then you also have some Haute Couture, very nice! :thumbsup:

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That sounds like a terrific line-up. You have very affluent upscale retail and then you also have some Haute Couture, very nice! :thumbsup:

Unfortunately none of those stores are haute couture. But they are very nice stores and are a great line-up!

^^I think people that aren't familiar with H&M don't realize that many of the designs are by top fashion designers. Yes, the material is cheap and its not the best quality, but there is the occasional great find there (though most things I find there are quite tacky.) But people who can't afford Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, can go to H&M and find similar designs (since they designed them.) Now H&M is partnering with Cavalli to create a new line exclusively at H&M. This is the main reason people rush to H&M. Though I think once H&M saturates the US like it has all over the Northeast, it will lose its novelty. Other than the H&Ms in NYC, none of the other H&Ms are really that packed.

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^Gotta agree. Every time I go back to Upstate NY, I make it a point to visit the H&M at Crossgates Mall in Albany and it's never busy. I've been to a few in London as well (they're just about on every block) and same deal there. What I love (and hate) about them is that the clothing is so trendy and cheap, I don't feel bad buying tons of stuff that I may or may not wear. I can't tell you how much H&M stuff I've sold at yard sales with the price tags still on. Then there's the odd shirt I wear once and then that's it... I'm done. It's sad really. I should be ashamed of myself. But I'm not. Yardsale-goers need last year's cutting-edge fashions too. Or, they make a great re-gift to the unsuspecting (and same-sized) loved one.

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Quote from Manolos :"Unfortunately none of those stores are haute couture. But they are very nice stores and are a great line-up!"

Did I say Haute Couture, oh my!!, I meant to say ready- to -wear, I must of had Giorgio Armani's Haute Couture Boutique on my mind when I posted that.

Edited by kennethdisraili
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^Gotta agree. Every time I go back to Upstate NY, I make it a point to visit the H&M at Crossgates Mall in Albany and it's never busy. I've been to a few in London as well (they're just about on every block) and same deal there. What I love (and hate) about them is that the clothing is so trendy and cheap, I don't feel bad buying tons of stuff that I may or may not wear. I can't tell you how much H&M stuff I've sold at yard sales with the price tags still on. Then there's the odd shirt I wear once and then that's it... I'm done. It's sad really. I should be ashamed of myself. But I'm not. Yardsale-goers need last year's cutting-edge fashions too. Or, they make a great re-gift to the unsuspecting (and same-sized) loved one.

Haha! That's exactly what it is. Everytime I go in to an H&M i think like 80% of it is bad, but then I find that one shirt or one jacket that looks cute. But then I find myself never actually finding an occasion to wear it and it goes unworn. I've kind of given up on H&M.

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^Gotta agree. Every time I go back to Upstate NY, I make it a point to visit the H&M at Crossgates Mall in Albany and it's never busy. I've been to a few in London as well (they're just about on every block) and same deal there.

I can't speak to Upstate NY, but the high street store was quite busy recently. Anyway, this way OT for the SP thread.

OBSouthPark: I've often wondered if Dick's will stay much longer. The times I've been in there I've never seen more than 5 customers (including myself). That could be a possible location for H&M not that they (or anyone!) would need that much space. ;)

Edited by charlotte_bon_vivant
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OBSouthPark: I've often wondered if Dick's will stay much longer. The times I've been in there I've never seen more than 5 customers (including myself). That could be a possible location for H&M not that they (or anyone!) would need that much space. ;)
I'm hoping they'll stay long enough for NM to catch on and help create a market for Saks :whistling:
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I'm hoping they'll stay long enough for NM to catch on and help create a market for Saks :whistling:

I think it would be great if Charlotte snatched Saks Fifth Avenue, since you now have Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. Now the only other coveted specialty retailer to go after is Bloomingdale's! Good luck Charlotte, with all the growth and increased disposable income, I feel it won't be too long before you might see these two retailers enter the Charlotte market. :thumbsup:

Edited by kennethdisraili
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I think it would be great if Charlotte snatched Saks Fifth Avenue, since you now have Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. Now the only other coveted specialty retailer to go after is Bloomingdale's! Good luck Charlotte, with all the growth and increased disposable income, I feel it won't be too long before you might see these two retailers enter the Charlotte market. :thumbsup:

amen!!

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I don't know, Saks would be kind of hard to lure since their business troubles the past couple of years (selling off Parisian to Belk and other various departments stores to Bon-Ton). I wouldn't see them here in Charlotte for probably three years or more. On the other hand, I would love to see Bloomingdale's (one of my favorite stores) enter the market but I don't feel we are quite that sophisticated yet for them. They'll probably wait and see how the new Neiman Marcus' sales are for the next year or two and then decide if a store would succeed here or not.

One of my ideas would be to switch the anchors around at South Park to accommodate these stores. Move Macy's to the Dillard's spot, Bloomingdale's to Macy's, and Saks to Dick's. I don't see that plan working out at all since Dillard's just recently renovated the interior/exterior and aren't planning on moving anytime soon and the South Park location of Dick's is sort of like a notch in their belt for them. Some have talked about Bloomingdale's possibly at Northlake, and I could see that happening due to the affluence of the Lake Norman area. Though with Northlake not hanging on to stores too well, that may be out of the range of options. Personally I would LOVE to see Bloomingdale's open up an Uptown location like their recent San Francisco store.

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I don't know, Saks would be kind of hard to lure since their business troubles the past couple of years (selling off Parisian to Belk and other various departments stores to Bon-Ton). I wouldn't see them here in Charlotte for probably three years or more. On the other hand, I would love to see Bloomingdale's (one of my favorite stores) enter the market but I don't feel we are quite that sophisticated yet for them. They'll probably wait and see how the new Neiman Marcus' sales are for the next year or two and then decide if a store would succeed here or not.

One of my ideas would be to switch the anchors around at South Park to accommodate these stores. Move Macy's to the Dillard's spot, Bloomingdale's to Macy's, and Saks to Dick's. I don't see that plan working out at all since Dillard's just recently renovated the interior/exterior and aren't planning on moving anytime soon and the South Park location of Dick's is sort of like a notch in their belt for them. Some have talked about Bloomingdale's possibly at Northlake, and I could see that happening due to the affluence of the Lake Norman area. Though with Northlake not hanging on to stores too well, that may be out of the range of options. Personally I would LOVE to see Bloomingdale's open up an Uptown location like their recent San Francisco store.

Saks is on an upswing, finally realizing that their market is affluent baby boomers instead of the younger and poorer demographics their various nameplates chased before. There are remarkably few new Saks stores in the works, but I think that will change soon. Luxury merchants are growing at a rapid pace.

Bloomingdale's probably will newver hit Charlotte. Macy's primary growth vehicle is Macy's (which is suffering from some potentially serious problems with merchandsing and marketing), and with Bloomingdale's struggling to get its piece of the pie on a corporate level, I can't see them enjoying a growth spurt in the next few years.

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Bloomingdale's is doing great (though yes Macy's is kind of failing.) I don't see Bloomingdale's entering Charlotte for a little while, but they are still slowly expanding, with SF, SCP, and SD opened this year, and Scottsdale and Dallas locations nearly signed. Slowly but surely they are expanding into new markets.

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I think it would be great if Charlotte snatched Saks Fifth Avenue, since you now have Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. Now the only other coveted specialty retailer to go after is Bloomingdale's! Good luck Charlotte, with all the growth and increased disposable income, I feel it won't be too long before you might see these two retailers enter the Charlotte market. :thumbsup:

If I may play devil's advocate, what about Barneys?

When I worked for Dillards I often said that Dillards should move out to make room for Saks (and other retailers). I think their renovations, though a last-ditch effort to gain (or at least stop losing) market share, will keep them in the mall for now, though it could be an option down the road.

As Steven said Saks is doing much better as a company as of late. Also, to repeat him, it's going to take a lot for a Bloomingdale's to come to Charlotte. It's very unlikely actually, though Atlanta does have a pair.

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Barneys doesn't have the same expansion plans as Neimans/Saks/Bloomies. Its not their intention to enter a lot of markets. Barneys has been the best selling unit of Jones for some time and have plans to expand a lot (opening in SF, LV, Syosset, Scottsdale) and just recently Dallas and reopened Boston. (though they are currently looking for a spot in southern Florida). Thing about Barneys is they are very small (much smaller than the regular department store. And the fact that they are being sold to a PE firm in UAE or SA hurts the chances that they are going to expand much more in the near future.

Though there is a chance a Barneys Co-Op could open, but thats not nearly as good as the real thing

Edited by Manolos
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