High-end retailer, Bloomingdale’s is expected to open its first smaller-format Bloomie’s location on the West Coast next month in Seattle, the stronghold of its rival Nordstrom.
The department-store chain that's part of Macy's is entering the Seattle market with the 19,000-square-foot, two-story store slated to open Nov. 2 at the University Village lifestyle shopping center at 2623 NE University Village St.
It's slated to be the third Bloomie's location in the United States. Bloomingdale’s opened its first Bloomie's, a 22,000-square-foot store in Fairfax, Virginia, in 2021, followed by a larger 50,000-square-foot store at the Westfield Old Orchard mall in Skokie, Illinois, in November of last year.
Macy’s is among a wide array of U.S. retailers that have been rolling out smaller versions of their stores outside of malls in an attempt to efficiently and cost-effectively enter or expand brick-and-mortar presence in a market.
Bloomingdale's has 32 department stores and 21 outlet stores nationwide in addition to the Bloomie’s store, with the nearest one to Seattle being in San Francisco. The Bloomie's store will be the chain’s first in Seattle, where its rival Nordstrom has its headquarters and a large downtown flagship store.
The smaller-concept Bloomie's aims to provide shoppers with a curated mix of top brands across a broad range of men's and women's categories, including apparel, accessories and beauty products.
"Although this is our first physical storefront in the area, Bloomingdale's already has an engaged customer base in the Seattle market," Charles Anderson, the chain's director of stores, said in a statement.
Macy’s in February 2020 closed its namesake flagship store in downtown Seattle after 90 years at the location at Third Avenue and Pine Street. The New York-based retailer in August opened a small-format Macy's store in Indiana and announced plans the same month to roll out smaller stores in Boston, Las Vegas and San Diego.