Henri Bendel

Henri Bendel, Inc.

Type	Subsidiary
Founder(s)	Henri Willis Bendel
Headquarters	New York, New York
Number of locations	16(October 2011)
Parent	Limited Brands
Website	www.henribendel.com

Henri Bendel is an American upscale women's specialty store based in New York City that sells fashion accessories, cosmetics and fragrances, gifts and gourmet foods. The company currently operates thirteen stores: its flagship New York store, established in 1895 and currently located at 712 Fifth Avenue, and stores in Columbus; Boca Raton, Florida; San Diego; Aventura, Florida (Miami); Dadeland, Florida (Miami), Orlando, Troy, Michigan (Detroit); Dallas; Short Hills, New Jersey; King of Prussia, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia); Orange County; Washington D.C.,Atlanta, Santa Clara (California) and Los Angeles. In the Fall of 2011, Bendel's will open three more stores in the following cities: Tampa, Palm Beach and Chicago.

Influence

The memorial to Henri Bendel in Kensico Cemetery

Henri Willis Bendel, a milliner by trade, was the first retailer to bring the designs of Coco Chanel over to the United States from Paris. The company he founded maintained this tradition of introducing influential socialites to what's new and next in fashion by launching 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 brown-and-white striped shopping bags, its signature hatboxes and an extensive matching line of cosmetics bags.

In April 2009 Henri Bendel made the decision to stop carrying apparel, choosing instead to focus on fashion accessories, cosmetics, and gift items such as candles. The company announced six smaller shops would open in malls across the country. These included Somerset Collection in Troy, NorthPark Center in Dallas, The Mall at Short Hills, King of Prussia Mall, Beverly Center, and South Coast Plaza.

Ownership & Leadership

Henri Bendel is owned by Limited Brands based in Columbus, who purchased the company in 1985. The personality most associated with Henri Bendel is Geraldine Stutz, who was its president for 29 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 on Fifth Avenue

Interior of the Henri Bendel retail store

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 the Henri Bendel accessories collection. You will also find hair accessories, home fragrance as well as bath and body products. Featured cosmetics brands include Mally Beauty, Kevin Aucoin, Laura Mercier, Nars, Trish McEvoy, and, on the mezzanine, Chanel. The store was also one of the first to carry Annick Goutal fragrances.

The second floor houses with their expansive costume jewelry selection, cold weather accessories, sunglasses, small leather goods, fragrances such as L'Artisan Parfumeur, and hair accessories

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

External links

Official website