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Visitors: Neiman Marcus History
Neiman Marcus was founded in 1907 by Herbert Marcus; his sister, Carrie Marcus Neiman; and her husband, Al Neiman. Investing $25,000 in proceeds from the sale of their flourishing sales promotion business, they opened their first store in downtown Dallas, Texas, with the goal of providing fine ready-to-wear apparel and unsurpassed customer service. They turned a profit in their first year, in large part because of a tenet that still governs the way we do business: "It's never a good sale for Neiman Marcus," Herbert Marcus said, "unless it's a good buy for the customer."
Herbert's son Stanley Marcus joined the family firm in the 1920s, and his intellectual curiosity, high standards, and imagination increasingly drove Neiman Marcus' growth over the ensuing half-century. When he retired in 1975 as chairman emeritus, "Mr. Stanley" (as employees fondly called him) had shepherded the store to international prominence through a combination of uncompromising quality in merchandise, unwavering commitment to customer service, and a host of retailing innovations. In 1938, he created the Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion, which was presented over a period of several decades to designers as diverse as Coco Chanel and Miuccia Prada, along with individuals from Grace Kelly to Grace Mirabella whose personal style and point of view influenced fashion directions. In 1957, he introduced Fortnight, an annual celebration of different countries' cultures and design contributions. And in 1960, inspired by journalists searching for holiday feature stories, he and brother Edward created the legendary His & Hers gifts as a centerpiece of the internationally renowned Christmas Book.
That catalog grew into Neiman Marcus Direct, a thriving division headquartered in the Dallas suburb of Las Colinas. The third division of The Neiman Marcus Group -- formed in 1987 to unite Neiman Marcus stores and Bergdorf Goodman in New York -- Neiman Marcus Direct publishes dozens of mail-order books each year under the Neiman Marcus By Mail, Horchow, and Chef's titles.
Stanley Marcus' legacy of creativity and customer focus has continued to distinguish Neiman Marcus. In 1984, Neiman Marcus inaugurated retailing's first customer loyalty program, InCircle. Ten years later, the company unveiled "The Art of Fashion", a seasonal portfolio of visionary designs recorded by equally visionary photographers. As they approached the turn of the new century, The Galleries of Neiman Marcus debuted, offering an expertly edited assortment of jewelry, tabletop collections, and decorative items in intimate, gallery-like stores in three cities. They began acquiring majority interests in brand-name luxury goods companies such as kate spade and Laura Mercier.
And in Fall 1999, Neiman Marcus launched an e-commerce website, combining the modern technology of online retailing with the enduring philosophy developed by the founders over 90 years ago: that their customers can expect extraordinary merchandise and superior service in an elegant environment -- in a store, in a catalog, or on the Web.
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