Club Industry was not involved in the creation of this content.
The Retailer Debuts an Immersive, Rotating Pop-Up Shop with “Urban Explorer”
September 13, 2018 – New York, NY – This fall, Bloomingdale’s debuts The Carousel @ Bloomingdale’s, a rotating pop-up shop telling culturally relevant stories we’re passionate about. Driven by guest curators, each shop introduces a unique theme with an unexpected mix of products brought to life by immersive in-store experiences. The Carousel will be refreshed every two months with a new of-the-moment theme and feature a constant rotation of animation and events to amplify the customer experience. The first installment entitled “Urban Explorer,” takes you on a tour of the urban wilderness, bringing a chic outdoor aesthetic into the concrete jungle with an assortment of tactical gear and functional fashion.
“As the retail landscape changes, we continually seek innovative ways to engage our customer,” said Frank Berman, Bloomingdale’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “The Carousel allows Bloomingdale’s to regularly offer up new product, new brands and an original immersive experience, all tied to a timely and engaging theme. The rotating shop will provide continual inspiration and guide shopping discovery while bringing a new and different experience with each visit.”
The Carousel @ Bloomingdale’s
The Carousel offers an immersive shopping experience to the Bloomingdale’s customer. Every two months, a notable guest curator and expert in the featured theme will take a spin populating the space. The combination of unexpected product, unique shopping environment and engaging experiences makes The Carousel like no other pop-up shop in the world.
The Carousel will launch in four Bloomingdale’s locations- 59th Street and Soho in New York and Century City and San Francisco in California. It lives in a dedicated, differentiated space within each store and creates an experiential shopping atmosphere with eye-popping visuals and interactive elements. Weekly events animate the space and bring the merchandise and concepts to life, making it a must-see destination for shoppers looking for shopping inspiration.
In Bloomingdale’s 59th Street, the shop will feel like a standalone boutique with a dedicated entrance located on 60th Street between 3rd and Lexington Avenue. Floor to ceiling digital walls, created by LG SIGNATUTRE’S OLED television screens, will line the perimeter of the shop and play thematic content to further engage consumers into the story. With its perfect black canvas and expanded color gamut, shoppers will enjoy color vibrancy that will immerse them in a one-of-a-kind experience. The engulfing screens create a cocoon-like feel, virtually transporting guests to new destinations.
The product assortment spans all families of business and is a combination of exclusive product, emerging and limited distribution brands, over the top items and non-endemic merchandise that feeds the narrative. Shoppers who do not live in the New York or California areas can virtually experience The Carousel through a dedicated micro-site on bloomingdales.com/thecarousel. Online shoppers can get to know the guest curator through video interviews and hear stories behind some of the most coveted, must-have products.
The Carousel begins its rotation on September 6th. The first installment, “Urban Explorer” will be a space for shoppers to discover and experience essentials for stylish survival in the big city.
Urban Explorer
This fall, Bloomingdale’s takes shoppers on a tour of the urban wilderness with “Urban Explorer” pop-up shops. Expertly curated by style expert and in-the-know New Yorker Eugene Tong, city dwellers can expect to find an assortment of products that blend the functionality of outdoor gear with a modern street-smart look to guide them through life in the concrete jungle.
“The team and I curated this shop with the needs of an urban lifestyle in mind,” said Eugene Tong. “I love the idea of borrowing from different genres, re-adapting, and re-purposing the product’s intended use to meet an individual’s needs for living in a city. Therefore, each item in this shop was chosen with the purpose of making everyday city life easier and a little more stylish.”
City life is demanding; it takes preparedness and grit to thrive. The Urban Explorer shops are equipped with everything city dwellers need to tackle daily life in the urban wildness. The guys can suit up with functional sportswear from brands like Stone Island, Dyne and Isa Ora and pack their everyday city survival essentials in daypacks from Topo and Aer. Women can also get outfitted for an urban adventure with chic quality performance gear from brands like LNDR and Perfect Moment and accessorize with sunglasses from Chimi, blue light readers from The Book Club and belt bags from MZ Wallace. For upgrades to every day necessities, shoppers can find technologically savvy goods like self-cleaning water bottles from Larq and temperature-controlled mugs from Ember. Other city adventuring essentials include emergency rain ponchos from Kikkerland, fashionable (and functional) bike helmets from Sawako, on-the-go laundry and cleaning products from The Laundress and survival kits from Pinch Provisions. The Urban Explorer shops will also be home to an array of Goop products to help shoppers maintain their healthy glow throughout the day.
Visual displays and interactive elements play a large role in telling the story of the Urban Explorer. LG SIGNATURE OLED televisions playing continuous loops of New York City views will get shoppers into the mindset of the Urban Explorer. The massive screens display synchronized content that moves cohesively, setting the scene and essentially transporting guests to the middle of the urban wilderness. Video themes include a birds-eye view of the city, hidden and forgotten places, striking architecture, familiar facades, iconic landmarks and worms-eye views.
To add an interactive element to the shops, Bloomingdale’s partnered with TRX, the global leader in fitness equipment and App-based training technology. TRX plays a major role in the “Urban Explorer” shops with an assortment of TRX’s well known Black and Yellow suspension straps and training gear, creating the perfect home gym solution in any size home. Fitness enthusiasts will be able to sign up for FREE TRX Classes, hosted in-store by TRX Master Instructors. Visit EventBrite.com to sign up.
TRX MAPS, powered by Physmodo, will provide users an interactive complete body movement assessment in less than 30 seconds, including mobility, activation, posture and symmetry. Results are delivered on-screen and via email, with targeted exercise plans that will help users move better in sport and in life.
In addition to TRX classes, the Urban Explorer shop will feature a steady rotation of events throughout the months of September and October. Each Thursday night Bloomingdale’s shoppers can get a taste of their city with events hosted by local wineries and breweries. The shop will also feature constant animation from the brands involved. Vendor activations include everything from a running and meditation class with the founder of District Vision, shoe shines and sneaker touch-ups with Jason Markk and a discussion about beauty routines with a Goop editor. Visit bloomingdales.com/events for a full listing of events.
About Bloomingdale’s
Bloomingdale's is America's only nationwide, full-line, upscale department store and a division of Macy's, Inc. It was founded in 1872 and currently operates 38 Bloomingdale’s stores and 17 Bloomingdale’s, The Outlet Stores, in California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. In addition, Bloomingdale's has an international presence with a location in Dubai. Be sure to follow @bloomingdales on social media, become a Loyalist, and for more information, or to shop any time, visit www.bloomingdales.com.