Neiman Marcus this year will begin to open DreamDry hair salons in its stores, seeking to elevate its customer experience with another element of personal service.
The rollout of the DreamDry salons will commence in the fourth quarter of this year, with openings inside Neiman’s Atlanta and Las Vegas stores.
Early next year, another DreamDry salon will open inside Neiman’s Fashion Island store in California. Additional salons in other Neiman’s stores are expected.
DreamDry, founded by Rachel Zoe and Robin Moraetes, is part of the Hudson Blvd. Group, a beauty services holding company formed in 2015 that includes Spruce & Bond beauty treatments and Pucker Makeup. Along with DreamDry, other Hudson Blvd. Group brands and services will be introduced to Neiman Marcus stores in early 2018, Neiman’s said.
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Moraetes, a former executive at Creative Artists Agency, is president of Hudson Blvd. Group, while Zoe also serves as creative director at the holding company.
“Hudson Blvd. Group is the ideal partner as they offer the unique proposition of being a single operator of a portfolio of beauty service businesses across all categories,” said Neva Hall, executive vice president of Neiman Marcus Stores. “We believe Hudson Blvd.’s elevated offering within its beauty segment will drive traffic and deliver a valuable customer experience at Neiman Marcus.”
Neiman’s will work with DreamDry “to refine and customize the design details for each shop, drawing inspiration from the original locations in New York, Chicago and Atlanta,” Neiman’s said in a statement. DreamDry offers express styling, braiding, rewards programs and hairstyles that are updated seasonally.
The Hudson Blvd. Group is expected to complete an acquisition in the nail-care category this spring and plans “to further integrate their portfolio companies through the introduction of multibrand locations, the first of which is slated to open this June.”
“When we announced the formation of Hudson Blvd., we received an influx of interest from national partners in the retail, real estate, and hospitality spaces,” Moraetes said. Neiman’s was chosen because it’s among “the most creative and forward-thinking organizations in today’s changing retail landscape,” she added.
Like many retailers, Neiman Marcus Group has been experiencing declining traffic in its stores and needs to come up with new ideas and experiences to reverse declines. Over the past few years, it has greatly increased its level of sales conducted online, launched omnichannel services such as buy-online, pick-up-in-stores, installed digital “magic mirrors” that show how clothes fit from different angles, and launched a Rent the Runway shop inside its San Francisco flagship.