This article may contain unsourced peacock terms that merely promote the subject without imparting verifiable information. Please remove or replace such wording, unless you can cite independent sources that support the characterization.

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008)

Henri Bendel is an Ohio-based upscale women's specialty store that carries women's apparel, fashion accessories, lingerie and loungewear, cosmetics and fragrances, gifts and gourmet foods. The company operates only five locations: its flagship New York store, established in 1895 and currently located at 712 5th Avenue; a store at Easton Town Center near Columbus, Ohio, added in 2004; a store in Boca Raton, Florida in Town Center at Boca Raton and one in San Diego, California at Fashion Valley Mall, both added in October of 2008; one at Aventura Mall in Aventura, Florida, which opened in November of 2008; a store at The Somerset Collection in Troy, MI, which opened July 13, 2009; and a location at NorthPark Center in Dallas, Texas, which will open in October of 2009. A new store in Short Hills, New Jersey is opening in late 2009 at the Short Hills Mall.

[edit] Influence

Henri Bendel, a milliner by trade, was the first retailer to bring the designs of Coco Chanel over to the United States from Paris. Today, the company maintains this tradition of introducing influential socialites to what's new and now in fashion by maintaining close associations with designers including Anna Sui, Stephen Burrows, Rick Owens and Diane von Furstenberg. Bendel's also fosters the work of upcoming designers through its semi-annual "Open-See" events, at which vendors can present merchandise to corporate buyers on a "first come, first seen" basis, with the chance that their pieces will be selected for a trunk show or even for sale in the Fifth Avenue store.

The brand is well-known for its iconic brown-and-white striped shopping bags, its signature hatboxes and an extensive matching line of cosmetics bags. Henri Bendel-brand cashmere and merino wool sweater collections, available in variety of styles and colors, are also famous. It regularly features "Girls Night Out" special shopping evenings for charity.

In April 2009 Henri Bendel made the decision to stop carrying apparel, choosing instead to focus on accessories, cosmetics, and home items such as candles. The company announce six smaller shops would open in malls across the country in the coming month. These include Somerset Collection in Troy, which opened in July, NorthPark Center in Dallas, which opened in September, and The Mall at Short Hills, King of Prussia Mall, Beverly Center, and South Coast Plaza, which will also open in the fall.

[edit] Ownership & Leadership

Interior of the Henri Bendel retail store

Henri Bendel is owned by Limited Brands based in Columbus. The personality most associated with Henri Bendel is Geraldine Stutz, who was its president for twenty-nine years until 1986 when the store was sold to Limited. She introduced the famous "Street of Shops", the boutiques-within-a-specialty-store concept which later gained wide popularity at the store's former location on 57th Street in New York City.

Bendel is currently helmed by CEO Ed Bucciarelli, an enthusiastic designer and eccentric merchandiser formerly of Liz Claiborne Accessories. Bucciarelli has been a key proponent of Bendel's shift into private-label merchandise, and he has been a driving force behind the rollout of smaller boutiques solely carrying Bendel-branded merchandise into niche U.S. markets.

[edit] Bendel on Fifth Avenue

Located at 10 West 57th Street for decades, Henri Bendel moved to its current location at 712 Fifth Avenue near 56th Street in 1990. The store is located in two landmark buildings, the Rizzoli Building (712 Fifth Avenue) and Coty Building (714 Fifth Avenue), and a new five-story building. The company was delighted to discover hidden Lalique windows during the restoration of the existing buildings. The store has four stories plus a lower level, an atrium with balconies, and 35,000 square feet (3,300 m²) of selling space.

The main floor is home to the Gazebo Shop and many cosmetics brands, most of them in limited distribution. The Gazebo Shop features handbags and Henri Bendel signature accessories. You will also find hair accessories, home fragrance as well as bath and body products. Featured cosmetics brands include Awake, Freeze 24/7, Kevin Aucoin, Laura Mercier, M.A.C, Nars, N.V. Perricone M.D., Rodan + Fields, Trish McEvoy, Yves Saint Laurent, and, on the mezzanine, Chanel. The store was also one of the first to carry Annick Goutal fragrances.

The second floor houses the store's signature sweater collections, along with the jewelry/cold weather accessories department,sunglasses, small leather goods, fragrances such as L'Artisan Parfumeur, skin care and the "market" section, which features denim, and casual brands such as James Perse, Splendid, AKA New York, and J Brand.

The third floor features contemporary ready-to-wear collections from designers like Milly, Castle Starr, ISSA, and Tibi, along with designer collections from the likes of Matthew Williamson, Missoni, Peter Som, Michael Kors, Robert Normand and Herve Leger as well as swim wear. Also on the third floor is the now consolidated lingerie department, which used to dominate the entire floor, the third floor also includes a book shop,designer jewelry and handbags and "Alison Nelson's Chocolate Bar", serving sandwiches, soups and salads, wine and beer as well as a host of bars, bon bons and assorted confections. Chocolate Bar was recently awarded 'Best Dessert in New York" by Citysearch and "Best Chocolate Store" by TimeOut New York.

The fourth floor is the home of the Frédéric Fekkai hair salon.

In 2001, the entire 5th Avenue store front window was dedicated to showcasing Sara Berman (fashion designer) ‘Fifi does Xanadu’ and ‘Best of Breed’ collection.

[edit] References