Bloomingdale’s Embraces Retail Industry’s ‘Small Format Store’ Trend

Bloomingdale’s will roll out its third small format store this year, continuing a trend seen across the retail space.

The new Bloomie’s location is to open in Seattle in 2023, following the launch of the small format concept in Fairfax, Virginia, in 2021 and Chicago in November 2022, the company said in a Wednesday (Jan. 4) press release.

“We are thrilled to enter the Seattle market with the opening of our third Bloomie’s location,” Bloomingdale’s Director of Stores Charles Anderson said in the release.

With Bloomie’s, Bloomingdale’s adds to the small format store trend that’s also being pursued by its parent company Macy’s as well as Target and Nordstrom.

As PYMNTS reported in July 2021, the 20,000-square-foot Market by Macy’s locations are focused on testing new strategies, driving omnichannel sales and convenience for customers and attracting new shoppers.

Similarly, Target’s small format stores enable the company to reach markets and consumers that it was previously unable to get to, such as colleges, urban centers and dense suburban cities.

Nordstrom’s 3,000-square-foot small format store called Nordstrom Local has no inventory but provides customers with online order pickups and returns and express alterations.

In July 2022, PYMNTS reported that Macy’s was opening four more small format stores, bringing its total number of Market by Macy’s locations to eight and Macy’s Backstage to more than 300.

“At Macy’s, we thrive on retail being a dynamic business requiring continuous analysis, reinvention and innovation,” Macy’s Chief Stores Officer Marc Mastronardi said at the time. “As customer preferences and buying behaviors change, we continue to evolve to deliver the experience our customers expect.”

The Bloomie’s locations feature men’s and women’s apparel, accessories, beauty, giftables and other product categories and promise an experience that is casual, contemporary and highly curated, according to the press release.

The Fairfax Bloomie’s is 22,000 square feet and the Chicago Bloomie’s is 50,000 square feet. Bloomingdale’s department stores are typically 150,000 square feet to 200,000 square feet, according to architecture and interior design firm Nelson.

“The new flexible store experience has been well received in other cities as it remains authentic to the Bloomingdale’s brand yet brings a new and exciting energy to our shoppers,” Anderson said in the release.

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