薩克斯第五大道精品百貨店的總裁馬克·邁特里克乘彩色扶梯緩緩而上，為即將舉行的盛大節(jié)目?jī)x式激動(dòng)不已,。扶梯由荷蘭建筑師雷姆·庫(kù)哈斯親自設(shè)計(jì),，外形靚麗時(shí)尚，色調(diào)為明亮的紅色和藍(lán)色,，頂上是巨大的LED天花板（看上去像蔚藍(lán)的天空）,，與四周?chē)幕疑昂熜纬甚r明對(duì)比，窗簾之外則是塵土飛揚(yáng)的建筑工地,。在曼哈頓最具標(biāo)志性的薩克斯精品百貨店一層,，變化正在悄然發(fā)生。

商場(chǎng)里有種劇場(chǎng)感,，正是邁特里克希望讓當(dāng)代顧客感受到的氛圍,，尤其在面積達(dá)65萬(wàn)平方英尺的紐約市旗艦店里。邁特里克自從2015年以來(lái)?yè)?dān)任HBC旗下薩克斯百貨店的總裁,。

酷炫的新自動(dòng)扶梯將商場(chǎng)一層與二層開(kāi)放空間相連,。數(shù)十年來(lái)一層都是美妝區(qū)，擠滿了往人們身上噴香水的促銷(xiāo)人員,。新的一層則是面積達(dá)53000平方英尺的皮具和手提包賣(mài)場(chǎng),，用邁特里克的話來(lái)說(shuō)，這些都是奢侈品消費(fèi)者的“入門(mén)藥引”,。到今年夏末,，翻新工程將包括地下“金庫(kù)”，以前是儲(chǔ)藏室,，很快會(huì)用來(lái)陳列最昂貴的珠寶,，比如蕭邦手表。

Ascending a sleek new multi-colored escalator, designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, Saks Fifth Avenue president Marc Metrick is a man vibrating with excitement ahead of its grand unveiling. The escalator’s bright red and blue hues and a large LED ceiling (that creates the illusion of a blue sky) pop in sharp contrast with the grey curtains used to cordon off a dusty construction area. Change is afoot on the ground floor of one Manhattan’s most iconic department stores.

The sense of theatre epitomizes what Metrick, who has been president of the HBC-owned Saks since 2015, is convinced the company has to offer today’s shoppers, particularly at its 650,000 square-foot New York City flagship.

The dazzling new escalator connects the street level—for decades home to a beauty area teeming with sales staff trying to spritz you with perfume—to an opened-up second floor. The new ground floor space is a 53,000 square-foot emporium for leather goods and handbags, the “gateway drug” for luxe shoppers, as Metrick puts it. By late summer this year, the renovations will include “The Vault” on the lower level, once a storage basement but soon home to Saks’ priciest jewelry like Chopard watches.

薩克斯之所以大翻修,，是想重振旗鼓加速發(fā)展，因?yàn)槿昵八_克斯經(jīng)歷過(guò)一段艱難時(shí)期,，當(dāng)時(shí)的銷(xiāo)售額一個(gè)季度比一個(gè)季度低,，市場(chǎng)份額不斷縮小。這位誕生于1924年的紐約貴婦獨(dú)特的韻味逐漸淡去,。

現(xiàn)在,，薩克斯宣布之前八個(gè)季度里有七個(gè)實(shí)現(xiàn)了可比銷(xiāo)售增長(zhǎng)，其中第三個(gè)季度增長(zhǎng)率還達(dá)到7.3%,。而且,，邁特里克非常滿意的是，近期表現(xiàn)超過(guò)了同期兩個(gè)主要競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手諾德斯特龍和尼曼集團(tuán),。但競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手們也沒(méi)有閑著,，尼曼和諾德斯特龍今年都在紐約開(kāi)了新店。

奢侈品市場(chǎng)競(jìng)爭(zhēng)是很激烈,，但正在蓬勃發(fā)展,。貝恩公司稱(chēng)，美國(guó)個(gè)人奢侈品市場(chǎng)上漲5%,，至850億美元,。此外，市場(chǎng)調(diào)研機(jī)構(gòu)Spectrem Group估計(jì),，現(xiàn)在有1000萬(wàn)美國(guó)人凈資產(chǎn)在100萬(wàn)美元到500萬(wàn)美元之間,，比十年前增加了67%。

不管地段多好,，也不管如何應(yīng)用技術(shù),，作坊式經(jīng)營(yíng)都是行不通的。所以才會(huì)投資2.5億美元花好幾年裝修旗艦店,，目前薩克斯共有41家連鎖店,。

“作為奢侈品零售商，投入25億美元翻修旗艦店是鞏固戰(zhàn)略的最佳時(shí)機(jī),?！?邁特里克表示。

相對(duì)來(lái)說(shuō)本次裝修比較正常,，不像20世紀(jì)30年代曾經(jīng)在室內(nèi)放過(guò)滑雪山（現(xiàn)在想讓首席財(cái)務(wù)官批準(zhǔn)可能比登天還難）,。不過(guò)薩克斯將第五大道精品店打造為當(dāng)代時(shí)尚先鋒過(guò)程中，仍在傳承當(dāng)年的精神,。

去年，美妝區(qū)搬到了二層，但空間增加了40%,，也多了一些福利,，例如面部鍛煉和抗脂肪治療。之前美妝區(qū)一直在一層,，目的是吸引更多顧客,，現(xiàn)在則更加清爽，還能沐浴在自然光線里,。到2021年,，所有樓層都能有自然光線。（下一個(gè)調(diào)整的品類(lèi)是男鞋,，現(xiàn)在分布在三層樓各處,，很快將集中在一個(gè)奢華的區(qū)域。）

The buzz of activity comes at a time when Saks has some wind in its sails again after faring a rough patch three years ago. Sales were declining quarter after quarter. It was losing market share and the Grande Dame of New York luxury, a fixture since 1924, had lost much of what made it stand out.

Now, Saks has reported seven quarters of comparable sales gains in the last eight, including a 7.3% jump in the third quarter. And, to Metrick’s big satisfaction, that recent performance bested those of two major rivals—Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus—over the same period. But those competitors are not idling: both Neiman and Nordstrom are adding their first namesake department stores in New York this year.

The luxury market might be crowded but it is booming: according to Bain & Co, the U.S. personal luxury goods market rose 5% to $85 billion in the United States. What’s more, Spectrem Group estimates there are now 10 million Americans with a net worth between $1 million and $5 million, up 67% from a decade ago.

A run of the mill store just won’t do, both in terms of the physical location but also how tech is integrated into them. Ergo a $250 million invested in the multi-year remodel of the flagship of a 41-store chain.

“There is no better time to cement your strategy as a luxury retailer than when you’re about to put a quarter of a billion dollars into your flagship store,” says Metrick.

While the renovation doesn’t feature anything outlandish like the indoor ski hill Saks installed in the 1930s (try getting a CFO to sign-off on that today) it’s still trying to channel that spirit as it looks to make the Fifth Avenue store a modern-day destination.

Last year, the beauty section moved up a floor but not without getting 40% more space and new amenities like facial workouts and offering anti-cellulite treatments. The area, historically on street level to generate shopper visits, offers clean sightlines with more natural light from outside, a feature all floors will have by 2021. (The next project is men’s shoes, now spread out over three floors, but soon to be concentrated in one lavish area.)

邁特里克對(duì)薩克斯在紐約發(fā)展的愿景還不只是購(gòu)物,。近日一個(gè)邀請(qǐng)媒體參觀的晚上,，薩克斯在L'Avenue舉行了第一次VIP晚宴，L’Avenue位于九層,，是由大師菲利普·史塔克設(shè)計(jì)的高端餐廳,。該店總部在巴黎，紐約店是其唯一分店,，吸引了蕾哈娜和碧昂絲之類(lèi)的一線名人,。

雖然現(xiàn)在看起來(lái)薩克斯欣欣向榮，就在幾年前還是另外一番景象,。百貨公司集團(tuán)HBC旗下有同名的加拿大連鎖店和Lord & Taylor,，2013年出資24億美元收購(gòu)了薩克斯。

收購(gòu)之后高管層大動(dòng)蕩,，戰(zhàn)略出現(xiàn)了動(dòng)搖,，人們普遍認(rèn)為薩克斯品牌發(fā)展方向沒(méi)有定論。因此,，到現(xiàn)在已積攢23年品牌經(jīng)驗(yàn)的邁特里克于2015年執(zhí)掌品牌時(shí),，立即開(kāi)始深入了解顧客的意見(jiàn)。調(diào)查結(jié)果令人羞愧,，在顧客眼中,，薩克斯和主要競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手尼曼完全可以互換。

“多年來(lái),，薩克斯一直想為所有人提供所有服務(wù),，卻一點(diǎn)特色都沒(méi)有了,。”邁特里克回憶說(shuō),。

他說(shuō),，顧客想到某個(gè)品牌時(shí)，薩克斯都只是配角,。舉例來(lái)說(shuō)：薩克斯標(biāo)志唯一一次出現(xiàn)在廣告的前面和中心,，是在舉辦促銷(xiāo)活動(dòng)時(shí)。除此之外薩克斯總會(huì)往后放,，其方形標(biāo)志只能出現(xiàn)在時(shí)尚品牌廣告牌的底部,。從此之后，邁特里克對(duì)公司的號(hào)召就是讓薩克斯變成顧客眼中的“英雄”,，“希望能讓人們說(shuō)：‘我去薩克斯買(mǎi)的這個(gè)’,，或者主動(dòng)問(wèn)起‘最近去過(guò)薩克斯嗎？’”

Shopping isn’t the only component of Metrick’s vision for Saks as a New York destination: the evening of a recent press preview, Saks had its first VIP dinner at L’Avenue, a new high-end Philippe Starck-designed restaurant on the 9th floor. It’s the only outpost of the Paris eatery that attracts A-list names like Rihanna and Beyoncé.

While Saks is thriving now, it was a different story just a few years ago. HBC, a department store conglomerate that also includes its namesake Canadian chain and Lord & Taylor, bought Saks for $2.4 billion in 2013.

There had been turmoil in the c-suite, strategy lurches, and the prevailing opinion that Saks was an icon adrift. So when Metrick, now a 23-year veteran of the brand, took the reins in 2015, he immediately began with a deep dive into customer perceptions. Among the humbling results: Saks and its archrival Neiman Marcus were interchangeable in shopper’s eyes.

“After years of trying to be all things to all people, Saks didn’t stand for anything,” Metrick recalls.

The problem, he says, was the Saks had come to play second banana in shoppers’ minds to the brands it sold. Case in point: the only time Saks and its logo were front and center in advertising was when it was holding sales events. Otherwise, Saks was an afterthought, its square logo relegated to the bottom of a fashion brand’s billboard. Metrick’s rallying cry for his troops has since been to make Saks the “hero” in customers eyes “The goal is for people to say, ‘I got this at Saks’ or ‘Have you been to Saks lately?’”

實(shí)現(xiàn)目標(biāo)并不容易，奢侈品百貨公司有85%的產(chǎn)品與競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手重復(fù),。而且越來(lái)越多的品牌也在自己開(kāi)店,，對(duì)商品的展示方式控制也更嚴(yán)，可以說(shuō)越來(lái)越困難,。

貝恩公司的合伙人范達(dá)娜·拉德哈基里什南表示,，過(guò)去十年，高端百貨公司促銷(xiāo)活動(dòng)過(guò)多,，也導(dǎo)致問(wèn)題更嚴(yán)重,。正因如此，從蔻馳到拉爾夫·勞倫等一眾品牌越發(fā)注重發(fā)展自家門(mén)店,。

不過(guò)奢侈品品牌,，尤其是小品牌在自家網(wǎng)站和商店里發(fā)揮的空間畢竟有限，吸引更大范圍人群不容易,。所以還得借助大型人流密集的商店,，還有做大電商業(yè)務(wù)。值得注意的是,，邁特里克表示可以向奢侈品牌提供詳細(xì)的顧客數(shù)據(jù),，包括顧客喜歡的其他品牌等。

但問(wèn)題仍然存在：如果你想買(mǎi)件古馳毛衣,，薩克斯,、尼曼、諾德斯特龍,、古馳精品店都有賣(mài),，也可以去網(wǎng)上的Net-A-Porter,，為什么要去薩克斯買(mǎi)？

這就是邁特里克認(rèn)為重修旗艦店非常重要的原因,，他對(duì)其他40家連鎖店也有許多調(diào)整計(jì)劃,。

人們普遍認(rèn)為諾德斯特龍的電商是業(yè)內(nèi)一流的電商,，這也是邁特里克著重加強(qiáng)的領(lǐng)域,。具體措施包括加強(qiáng)薩克斯的社交媒體運(yùn)營(yíng)（目前其在Instagram上有140萬(wàn)粉絲，而2015年只有30萬(wàn)粉絲）,，還推出賣(mài)場(chǎng)銷(xiāo)售等服務(wù),，可以讓真人銷(xiāo)售員，而不是聊天機(jī)器人或海外呼叫中心接線員幫顧客在薩克斯提供購(gòu)物建議和預(yù)定服務(wù),。

邁特里克表示,，相關(guān)服務(wù)已見(jiàn)成效。一般來(lái)說(shuō),，網(wǎng)購(gòu)?fù)素浡试?0%到50%之間,，非常影響利潤(rùn)。然而通過(guò)賣(mài)場(chǎng)銷(xiāo)售服務(wù)成交的訂單退貨率已經(jīng)降到20%,。

每年,，薩克斯一家門(mén)店里的客流量約有3000萬(wàn)人，而Saks.com的訪問(wèn)量達(dá)1.5億,。實(shí)體店里20%的訪問(wèn)量可發(fā)生購(gòu)買(mǎi),，在線訪客購(gòu)買(mǎi)率接近2.5%。因此,，盡管電商業(yè)務(wù)沒(méi)有設(shè)計(jì)精美的彩色扶梯華麗,，但對(duì)保持發(fā)展至關(guān)重要。

“她會(huì)想到其他的在線購(gòu)物體驗(yàn),，比較在薩克斯有沒(méi)有同樣便利,。” HBC的首席執(zhí)行官海倫娜·?？怂乖诮榻B典型的薩克斯顧客時(shí)表示,。

And that’s no small order, what with some 85% of any luxury department store’s offerings overlapping with rivals. It’s also not getting easier at a time brands themselves are opening more of their own stores and taking more control of how their wares are presented.

The high-end department stores added to their own problems in the last decade by getting more promotional, says Bain & Co partner Vandana Radhakrishnan. That led many brands, from Coach and Ralph Lauren on up to focus more on their own stores.

But luxury brands, particularly smaller ones, can only do so much with their own sites and stores in reaching a wide audience. So great, well-trafficked stores and strong e-commerce are remedies for that problem. Notably, Metrick says he can give detailed customer data to luxury brands, including what other brands they like.

Yet the question remains: If you want to buy a Gucci sweater that is available at Saks, Neiman, Nordstrom, a Gucci boutique, or online at Net-A-Porter—why buy it at Saks?

That’s why Metrick sees reinventing the flagship as so important, with many ideas being adapted to the 40 other stores in the fleet.

E-commerce, where Nordstrom is seen as a best-in-class operator, is another area of Metrick’s focus. Steps taken include ramping up Saks’ social media (on Instagram it now has 1.4 million followers compared to 300,000 in 2015) and introducing services like Salesfloor, where an actual sales person working at a store, and not a chatbot or overseas call center operator, is available to provide tips and book appointments at Saks for you.

Metrick says that’s already paying off: online return rates are typically 40% to 50%, a cost that pinches margins. That drops to 20% for sales clinched via the Salesfloor service.

Every year, some 30 million people visit a Saks store, while Saks.com gets 150 million visits. At stores, 20% of visits yield a sale, while online the rate is more like 2.5%. And so while not as flashy as a designer escalator, ecommerce is crucial for maintaining momentum.

“She’s thinking about every other online experience out she’s having today and is Saks as easy as all that,” says HBC CEO Helena Foulkes of the prototypical Saks shopper.