“I’ve had the pleasure of cutting a lot of ribbons over the years,” said Michael Gould, chairman and chief executive officer of Bloomingdale’s, at the official unveiling of Space NK’s store-in-store at the retailer’s 59th Street flagship Friday. “But at no time in the last 17 years have I felt this proud. This one is truly unique.”
Gould, who with Space NK founder Nicky Kinnaird unveiled a plan in July to open a chain of Space NK shop-in-shops at Bloomingdale’s, called the partnership “a seminal moment” for Bloomingdale’s beauty business.
Bloomingdale’s doors in White Plains, N.Y., and Boston’s Chestnut Hill also rolled out the concept last week. They will be followed by the unit in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood and five Southern California doors — Newport Beach’s Fashion Island, Costa Mesa’s South Coast Plaza, Century City, San Francisco and The Galleria at Sherman Oaks — by yearend. At least 10 additional doors will get the concept next year, said Howard Kreitzman, vice president of cosmetics and fragrances for Bloomingdale’s.
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According to Kreitzman, most of the installations will range in size from 500 to 900 square feet, although the 59th Street space — temporary, as the retailer is revamping its main floor — is approximately 1,100 square feet. Once the 59th Street beauty floor renovation is completed, Space NK will move into a slightly larger space in the Bway area of the floor, which is currently devoted to fashion jewelry.
The move brings 50 new brands to the Bloomingdale’s 59th Street mix, “47 of which wouldn’t have sold to us, except for Nicky,” said Gould. They include Kinnaird’s Space NK line, Lipstick Queen, Eve Lom, Natura Bissé, Jemma Kidd’s professional line, Belle Fleur candles and an upscale line by makeup artist Sonia Kashuk, among others.
In fact, said Kinnaird, she “stole” certain brands from her U.K. doors to stock her first Bloomingdale’s boutiques. “For instance, Sonia Kashuk’s line won’t be in our U.K. stores till this spring, but we’re introducing it here now,” she said.
While none of the executives would discuss sales projections, industry sources estimated that the Space NK boutiques at Bloomingdale’s could each do upwards of $1.5 million in their first year of operation.