Nordstrom is formally getting into the bridal business, and Texas – one of its largest dress markets – is a big part of its plans.The Seattle-based retailer is opening bridal boutiques inside 14 stores over the next six weeks including three in Texas – at NorthPark Center in Dallas and one each in Houston and San Antonio.
Nordstrom's entry into the segment comes as the number of weddings and the amount spent on weddings have been declining in recent years. Competitors have had mixed results. J.Crew and competitor Ann Taylor have successfully been in the bridal business for a few years, with J.Crew opening its first bridal boutique in May in New York City. Urban Outfitters has plans.
But in early 2009, Saks closed 16 of its 18 bridal salons, including its two in Texas. Last month, designer Vera Wang stopped making bridesmaid dresses. Still, the wedding business isn't going away, said Min Park, a Nordstrom veteran in charge of the new venture. By engaging the wedding apparel, shoe and accessories customer with dedicated glass-enclosed boutiques, by-appointment service and special three-way lighted mirrored dressing rooms, Nordstrom can get a slice of those categories estimated to be $11 billion-a-year business, she said.
Nordstrom is targeting the frugal bride unwilling or unable to plop five figures on a dress. "Not all, but many brides these days have changed their views about what they're willing to spend on a dress," Park said. Its "Wedding Suite" departments target the value-oriented shopper with gowns that start at $180 and top out around $2,000. Bridesmaid dresses are priced from $138 to $450.
The boutiques can make use of the rest of the store and its services including on-site tailoring, bra fit specialists, beauty services, garment steaming and even shoe shining for the groom. Each boutique is staffed by three wedding stylists who can also assist with dresses for engagement parties and bridal showers and honeymoon wardrobes, Park said. The company has had a growing mother-of-the bride business online and sold a limited number of bride and bridesmaid dresses, but started testing merchandise in stores earlier this year. For Nordstrom, it's a way to grow in the post-recession environment where opportunities to build new stores has stopped as new shopping center development ceased.
Besides being a major party dress market for Nordstrom, Texas offered major markets that cater to large potential customer bases, Park said. There are about 2.2 million weddings every year in the U.S., according to the Wedding Report, a research firm. Total spending including flowers, food and drink, was $42 billion last year, down from $47 billion in 2008 and a peak of $63 billion in 2007.
On average, Texas has more than 175,000 weddings annually. In 2008, the average event cost $20,360 and that was down from a peak of $26,817 in 2007. Other wedding boutiques are open or about to open in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and at the company's downtown Seattle store.