Dive Brief:
- Crate and Barrel on Thursday opened a New York City flagship store in the city’s Flatiron District, according to a company announcement.
- The 23,000-square-foot, two-level location is the company’s first immersive design store.
- The location features a trade and design service center called The Design Desk, which is staffed by up to 30 local designers that hold in-store, virtual and in-home appointments.
Dive Insight:
CEO Janet Hayes thinks the new Flatiron Crate and Barrel store is the future of the brand, according to the company
"This flagship store embodies our commitment to inspiring and supporting customers at every step of their home shopping journey," Hayes said in a statement.
The store features bestselling items across every home category in addition to artisanal goods specific to the location.
The Flatiron store also sports a botanical shop and expanded selection of dried botanicals for DIY arrangements or on-site styling by an expert. Additionally, the shop offers monogramming services, an expanded gift registry and an enhanced Trade Program for professionals. Local customers can select one-day delivery. The store also houses a Crate and Kids shop-in-shop with toys, gear and wall decor only found at that location.
Alongside the flagship store, Crate and Barrel launched its first immersive virtual store. The replica of the New York City flagship store allows customers to experience over 450 products digitally.
This fall, Crate and Barrel Holdings launched a multiyear improvement strategy. Its “Bring It Home” investment plan is meant to enhance the customer experience and grow the company. The initiative aims to improve inventory optimization, demand forecasting and delivery speeds alongside doubling the retailer’s technology team over three years.
At the start of the year, the company named Nike vet Mike Brewer as its chief operating officer.
