Barneys New York Returns to Downtown Manhattan with Flagship Store at Historic Chelsea Location

NEW YORK, Dec. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Barneys New York, the luxury specialty retailer, announced today that it will return to its downtown roots on 7th Avenue between 17^th Street and 16^th Street with a significant flagship slated to open within 2017. An original presence in the Chelsea neighborhood spanning 90 years, the new Barneys New York flagship will occupy a major portion of its former historic store, providing a unique shopping experience currently absent in the downtown market.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131219/NY36107)

"Today's announcement represents the realization of our long-standing goal of returning to downtown with a substantial location," said Barneys New York Chief Executive Officer Mark Lee. "The opportunity to revitalize our presence with a state-of-the-art store on the same street where the company served customers for 75 years only enhances that plan. We believe the robust and growing downtown market is under penetrated in terms of a larger specialty retailer, and we look forward to serving these customers again with what we anticipate will be one of our most important stores."

The downtown flagship will consist of five floors totaling close to 57,000 square feet. The store will have 200 feet of frontage running along the majority of the Seventh Avenue block and wrapping the corner of 16th Street, providing ample space for its world-renowned window displays. The interior will maintain an aesthetic consistent with the recent renovations of the Madison Avenue store, which emphasize a modern, open, gallery–like feel. The Barneys New York downtown store will carry men's and women's designer clothing, shoes, and accessories, and will feature a Foundation level for cosmetics, skincare, and fragrances. Preliminary plans also include a Freds restaurant on the uppermost retail floor.

From its original opening in 1923, Barneys New York was a consistent and powerful presence, iconic to the downtown New York landscape. Barney Pressman opened his men's store, "Barney's," on Seventh Avenue in Chelsea in 1923. Launched as a discount retailer, by the 1970s the store evolved into a New York City luxury menswear destination, becoming an early champion of European brands. In 1976, Barneys began selling women's clothing, followed by cosmetics, home wares and gifts. Barneys New York expanded into its existing flagship location on Madison Avenue in 1993, and closed the Seventh Avenue location in 1997.  

The thriving Madison Avenue flagship will continue to operate as the largest store for the company, which along with the Upper West Side, Soho and Brooklyn locations, provides Barneys New York with an exceptionally strong presence across New York City.

About Barneys New York
BARNEYS NEW YORK (Barneys) is a luxury specialty retailer renowned for having the most discerning edit from the world's top designers, including women's and men's ready-to-wear, accessories, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrances, and gifts for the home. Barneys' signature sense of wit and style is manifested in its creative advertising campaigns, original holiday themes, and celebrated window displays. Founded as a men's retailer in 1923 in downtown Manhattan, it became an international arbiter of high style for both women and men in the 1970s, renowned for discovering and developing new and innovative design talent. Today, Barneys New York operates flagship stores in New York City, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Seattle, Boston, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Scottsdale along with a preeminent luxury online store, Barneys.com, as well as 25 other stores and outlets across the United States. For more information about Barneys New York, please visit www.Barneys.com and explore its luxury content site, The Window, for an insider's look into the Barneys world: a behind-the-scenes visit with exciting designers, fashion, events, and the Barneys team.

SOURCE Barneys New York