MACY'S TO OFFER GLIMPSE OF SOUSON; AREA SITE WILL TEST MARKET.Byline: Enrique Rivero Daily News Staff Writer Tapping into one of the hottest areas in retailing today, Macy's department store is spinning off a new chain of stores specializing in beauty products, candles and other ``impulse'' merchandise. The Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, testing ground Noun 1. testing ground - a region resembling a laboratory inasmuch as it offers opportunities for observation and practice and experimentation; "the new nation is a testing ground for socioeconomic theories"; "Pakistan is a laboratory for studying the use of American for the new concept - called Souson: A Little Something Extra from Macy's - is the Westfield Shoppingtown Topanga Plaza in Canoga Park. The local store, expected to open in early June, will be Macy's second Souson. The first opened April 30 in San Jose San Jose, city, United States San Jose (sănəzā`, săn hōzā`), city (1990 pop. 782,248), seat of Santa Clara co., W central Calif.; founded 1777, inc. 1850. , said Betty Krogh, a spokeswoman for Macy's West Macy's West is a division of Macy's, Inc. (formerly Federated Department Stores) and headquartered in San Francisco, California. It currently operates approximately 200 stores throughout Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico and Texas. in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden . Others could follow, depending on how well the originals perform. Macy's doesn't have a department store in Topanga Plaza, but it does have one in the nearby Westfield Shoppingtown Promenade in Woodland Hills. Both malls are owned by Los Angeles-based real estate investment trust Westfield America Inc. ``(The Topanga Plaza) has a great reputation in the Valley and we don't have representation there,'' Krogh said. ``I'm a Valley Girl and used to go to that mall on the bus all the time. It's a great mall.'' Souson should ``seduce'' mall customers in the same way that they're lured by impulse items such as cosmetics and fragrances as they make their way through Macy's aisles, Krogh said. ``It's impulsive,'' Krogh said. ``You're walking and you have an opportunity to pass the shop and you say: This is a great new shop, I'm going to walk in.'' Like the San Jose store, the local 4,500-square-foot Souson will carry a broad line of makeup and fragrances, as well as related products such as cosmetics bags, brushes, applicators, potpourri and candles, according to officials with Cincinnati-based Federated Connected and treated as one. See federated database and federated directories. Department Stores, which owns Macy's. Cosmetics will include Shiseido, Elizabeth Arden, Christian Dior and Benefit. Souson will also carry British hairstylist Charles Worthington's line of hair-care products. Some of the Souson merchandise isn't sold in Macy's. This includes the Worthington line - for the time being, at least, Krogh said - some decorative items, candles, hair ornaments and brushes. The market for decorative items, candles and the like has heated up of late, and stores specializing in this merchandise are springing up everywhere, said Jackie Fernandez, director of the retail services group for accounting firm Deloitte & Touche LLP LLP - Lower Layer Protocol in Los Angeles. Candle retailers such as Illuminations and the Yankee Candle Co., for example, have opened or plan to open outlets in the Topanga Plaza and Northridge Fashion Center Northridge Fashion Center is a large shopping mall located in Northridge, California. It opened in 1971. It was severely damaged during the Northridge Earthquake in 1994, but renovated extensively in 1995 and 1998. , respectively. Given enough product differentiation Product Differentiation A source of competitive advantage that depends on producing some item that is regarded to have unique and valuable characteristics. , Macy's doesn't run the risk of competing against itself, Fernandez said. And if the price point is low enough, Souson should compete well against similar stores such as Bath & Body Works. Plus, Macy's name recognition is sure to help, she said. ``I think it's a good move (and) I think they've got the know-how to make this concept work well,'' Fernandez said. ``It's an area of the retail industry that's hot. People are interested in candles and home decoration. ``It's a good area to hop into,'' she said. |
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