Parisian
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Parisian (disambiguation).
| Parisian | |
 |
|
| Type of Company | Specialty Department Store |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1887 in Birmingham, Alabama |
| Headquarters | Birmingham, Alabama |
| Key people | Toni Browning, CEO & President |
| Industry | Retail |
| Products | Clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. |
| Slogan | "You're Somebody Special" |
| Website | http://www.parisian.com/ |
|
Parisian is a moderate to upscale U.S. chain of department stores, based in Birmingham, Alabama known for its superior level of personalized service and limited distribution of specialty brands such as Juicy Couture, Karen Kane, BCBG Max Azria, Garfield & Marks, Tahari, Jig Saw, 7 For All Mankind, Diesel, Paper Denim & Cloth, Robert Talbott, Tommy Bahama, Joseph Abboud, Hugo Boss, Lacoste, Callaway, Cutter & Buck, Indigo Palms, Bobbi Brown, Brahmin, French Connection, Laura Mercier, Trish McEvoy, Donald Pliner, Stuart Weitzman, Kate Spade, Salvator Ferragamo, Sigrid Olsen, Jones New York Signature, MAC, Via Spiga, Brighton, Cole Haan, and Coach, which are typically carried only at specialty stores. Parisian also supplements its merchandise assortments with a selection of proprietary brands and premier national brands.
Parisian stores in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio are operated by The Bon-Ton. All other Parisian locations are part of Belk. Former owner Saks Incorporated agreed to sell Parisian to Belk for $285 million on August 2, 2006 and completed the sale on September 30, 2006. In turn, Belk then announced the closing of 11 Parisian stores, selling five of them to Bon-Ton.
[edit] History
The chain was founded by sisters Bertha and Estella Sommers under the name Parisian Dry Goods & Millinery Company in 1887 in Birmingham. In 1945, Parisian adopted an aggressive program of brand-name merchandising and enhanced customer service as it expanded. In 1983 it became a publicly traded company and it joined Proffitt's Inc., in 1996. In September of 1998, Proffitt’s, Inc. and Saks Holdings, Inc. completed a merger transaction where Saks Fifth Avenue and its Off 5th outlet stores became the Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises division of Proffitt’s, Inc. At that time, Proffitt’s, Inc. was renamed Saks Incorporated.
Particularly in its larger markets, Parisian was placed in a marketing tier between the luxury-oriented SFA chain and the company's other more moderate nameplates. At its height, Saks Incorporated operated more than 250 mid-level to high end department stores under its Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises group, the Parisian division, the Northern Department Store Group (Younkers, Herberger's, Carson Pirie Scott, Bergner's, Boston Store), and its Southern Department Store Group (Proffitt's and McRae's) — plus more than 50 Club Libby Lu specialty shops.
Following the divesting of its Southern Department Store Group in July 2005 to Belk, Inc., and the March 2006 sale of its Northern Department Store Group (controlled under the divisional umbrella of Carson Pirie Scott) to Bon-Ton Stores, Inc., for $1.1 billion, Parisian survived as a division emphasizing its service, fashion, and specialty items much like its New York-born corporate sibling. Though it has shared several markets with SFA, many of Parisian's markets are comparatively smaller in scale.
In January 2006, Saks Incorporated announced that it was exploring strategic alternatives for its 38 Parisian stores (which could lead to a sale), the last of its mid-level department store chains. The company's activity within the last 12 months is seemingly oriented toward the return of Saks Fifth Avenue as an independently operated brand for the first time in more than 30 years. Some industry experts have also speculated that the activity positions a streamlined Saks Incorporated itself for buyout at a later point.
On Wednesday August 2, 2006 it was announced that Belk, Inc. had entered into a stock purchase agreement with Saks Incorporated to acquire 38 Parisian department stores, a 125,000 square foot administrative/headquarters facility in Birmingham, Alabama, and a 180,000 square foot distribution center in Steele, Alabama. Plans have been announced to close one of the distribution centers, in and to change the Parisian stores over to the Belk's nameplate during the third quarter of 2007. With the transaction now complete, Belk operates a total of 315 stores in 19 states. [2]
On October 25, 2006 Belk announced that it has reached an agreement to sell four Parisian stores located in the Midwest to The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. and a fifth store scheduled to open in Clinton Township, Michigan at The Mall at Partridge Creek in fall 2007.
With the sale to Belk, it looked as though the last of Birmingham's historic department store brand names would be lost, joining Pizitz, Loveman's, Yielding's, and Blach's in the annals of history. However, Bon-Ton has expressed interest in keeping the Parisian nameplate for the five stores they acquired.[3]
[edit] Trivia
- Jon Coffelt, while living in Birmingham, Alabama, was commissioned by store designer, Jim Mitchell to paint over 100 works for the Parisian Department Store chain beginning in 1988 helping to launch his career as a visual artist. Coffelt currently lives and works in New York City.
[edit] Current Parisian Locations
[edit] Alabama
- Birmingham - Colonial Brookwood Village - 107,416 sq. ft., Opened 2002 in former McRae's location
- Birmingham - Downtown (flagship) - 21,500 sq. ft.
- Birmingham - Riverchase Galleria - 203,500 sq. ft., Opened 1986
- Birmingham - The Summit - 114,534 sq. ft., Opened 1997
- Decatur - Colonial Mall Decatur - 90,300 sq. ft.
- Dothan - Wiregrass Commons Mall - 61,692 sq. ft.
- Florence - Regency Square - 90,000 sq. ft. (2 stores; Main store 50,000 sq. ft., Men's/Kid's 40,000 sq. ft.)
- Gadsden - Colonial Mall Gadsden - 80,240 sq. ft. (formerly McRae's)
- Huntsville - Madison Square Mall - 115,000 sq. ft.
- Huntsville - Parkway Place - 167,256 sq. ft.
- Mobile - Bel Air Mall - 122,500 sq. ft.
- Montgomery - Eastdale Mall - 127,938 sq. ft. (2 stores; Main store 68,970 sq. ft., Men's/Kid's 58,968 sq. ft.)
- Trussville - (metropolitan Birmingham) Colonial Pinnacle at Tutwiler Farm - 100,794 sq. ft.
- Tuscaloosa - University Mall - 172,396 sq. ft. (2 stores; Women's Apparel, Shoes & Cosmetics 82,222 sq. ft., Men's, Children's, and Home 90,174 sq. ft.)
[edit] Arkansas
- Little Rock - Pleasant Ridge Town Center - 120,000 sq. ft.
[edit] Florida
- Jacksonville - The Avenues - 118,300 sq. ft.
- Pensacola - Cordova Mall - 75,000 sq. ft.
- Tallahassee - Tallahassee Mall - 115,000 sq. ft.
[edit] Georgia
- Alpharetta - North Point Mall - 87,407 sq. ft., Opened in 1995 in former Mervyn's location
- Atlanta - Northlake Mall - 103,000 sq. ft., Opened in 1992 expansion
- Atlanta - Phipps Plaza -170,000 sq. ft., Opened in 1992 expansion
- Columbus - Peachtree Mall - 87,600 sq. ft., Opened in 1986 expansion, closing 2006
- Douglasville - Arbor Place Mall - 142,550 sq. ft., Opened 1999
- Duluth - Gwinnett Place Mall - 128,000 sq. ft., Opened in 1993 expansion
- Kennesaw - Town Center Mall - 131,000 sq. ft., Opened in 1993 expansion
- Lithonia - The Mall at Stonecrest - 145,974 sq. ft.
- Macon - Macon Mall - 105,000 sq. ft., Opened in 1998 expansion
[edit] Indiana
- Indianapolis - Circle Centre - 143,000 sq. ft.(Sold to The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.)
- Indianapolis - The Fashion Mall at Keystone - 128,000 sq. ft. Closing 2007, re-opening as Nordstrom
[edit] Michigan
- Livonia - Laurel Park Place - 145,800 sq. ft. (Sold to The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.)
- Rochester Hills - The Village of Rochester Hills - 122,276 sq. ft., Opened 2002 (Sold to The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.)
[edit] Mississippi
- Tupelo - The Mall at Barnes Crossing - 84,000 sq. ft.
[edit] Ohio
- Beavercreek - The Mall at Fairfield Commons - 130,000 sq. ft. (Sold to The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.)
- Cincinnati - Kenwood Towne Centre - 147,500 sq. ft. Closing 2006, re-opening as Nordstrom
[edit] South Carolina
- Charleston - Citadel Mall - 129,000 sq. ft. Closing 2006
- Columbia - Richland Mall - 100,000 sq. ft. Closing 2006
[edit] Tennessee
- Chattanooga - Hamilton Place Mall - 92,500 sq. ft. Closing 2006
- Collierville (metropolitan Memphis) - The Avenue Carriage Crossing - 124,000 sq. ft., Opened 10/05 (Selling to Macy's.)
- Franklin (metropolitan Nashville) - Coolsprings Galleria - 132,000 sq. ft.
- Knoxville - West Town Mall - 143,900 sq. ft.
[edit] New Parisian store openings
[edit] 2006
- Rogers, Arkansas - Pleasant Crossing - 100,000 sq. ft.
[edit] 2007
- Clinton Township, Michigan - Partridge Creek Fashion Park - 120,000 sq. ft. (Sold to The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc.)
- Ridgeland, Mississippi (metropolitan Jackson) - Renaissance at Colony Park - 130,000 sq. ft.
[edit] 2008 (will open as Belk)
- Prattville, Alabama (metropolitan Montgomery) - High Pointe Town Center - 80,000 sq. ft.
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana - Perkins Rowe - 120,000 sq. ft.
[edit] Closed Parisian locations
[edit] Alabama
- Birmingham - Western Hills Mall - 129,000 sq. ft., Closed 03/05
- Birmingham - Eastwood Mall - 130,000 sq. ft., Opened 1969 & closed 01/05
- Birmingham - Five Points West - Closed 07/99
- Birmingham - Vestavia Hills - Closed 07/89
- Montgomery - Montgomery Mall - Closed 3/06
[edit] Florida
- Central Florida MSA/Ocoee – West Oaks Mall- 212,000 sq. ft., Acquired from Dillard's in 1998, was a Gayfers; converted to McRae's in 2004, sold to Belk in 2005
- Central Florida MSA/Orlando – The Florida Mall- 120,000 sq. ft., Acquired from Dillard's in 1998, was a Gayfers; sold to May Company in 2001, was Lord & Taylor, empty as of September 16, 2006
- Central Florida MSA/Oviedo – The Market Place- 180,000 sq. ft., Acquired from Dillard's in 1998, was a Gayfers; sold to Burdines in 2000; now Macy's
- Central Florida MSA/Sanford - Seminole Towne Center - 141,000 sq. ft., Opened in 1995, converted to McRae's in 2004, sold to Belk in 2005
[edit] Georgia
- Savannah - Savannah Mall - 102,000 sq. ft., Opened 1990 & Closed 01/03; now Bass Pro Shops
[edit] Ohio
- Cincinnati - Beechmont Mall - Closed 07/99
- Cincinnati - Forest Fair - Closed 06/98
- Cincinnati - Kenwood Towne Centre - Closing early 2007
[edit] South Carolina
- Columbia - Columbiana Centre - 95,000 sq. ft., Closed 2/06 to become JCPenney
- Greenville - Greenville Mall - 120,000 sq. ft, Converted to Proffitt's in 1999; closed in 2004
[edit] Advertising Slogans
- "You're Somebody Special"
[edit] References
- ↑ , Merchandising "Saks Incorporated Annual Report (Parisian)". SEC Filing, 10 April 2006.
- ↑ ""The Look" Parisian Fall 2006 Catalog". Parisian., September 2006.
- ↑ , Merchandising "For new owner, Parisian is 'bon'". IndyStar.com, 26 October 2006.
