I was in the City (San Francisco) today and stopped by the Saks Fifth Avenue "in store" Penhaligon boutique to pick up some Blenheim Bouquet Talc. I was told that the boutique was closing and that all the merchandise was being cleared out. I was also told that Penhlaigon was recently purchased by an American holding company and that all the Saks?penhaligon boutiques would be closed by mid year. There are two independent/Penhaligon boutiques in Orange Cty CA and Las Vegas that will be closed by year end. I was told that Penhaligon will be seeking a new distribution channel and a new line-up of retailer's in 2006.
Chris
Penhaligon's
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- Duke of Silvertip!
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Chris, Interesting. Cradle Holding Co. has actually had Penhaligons for awhile now. Perhaps there was a pre-existing contract with Saks, that had to be honored, but that now has expired(?). Cradle, is ultimately owned by an investment firm ( forget their name ), that's located in SF. The situation with Saks has kept Penhaligon's products from being available hardly anywhere else in the US, so this upcoming change might loosen things up a bit, and that could be a good thing. Also, maybe Saks will sell off their Penhaligon's stock at discounted prices, as the end nears! Well, I can hope. I wonder if I should get in touch with my contact person at the main store in NYC about this. Thanks for the heads up. Regards, Gordon
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- Duke of Silvertip!
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Chris, Bummer. And it's probably true too. There is still the slim possibility that some of these 'transferred' goods may find their way into the 'grey goods' market. I did see a little of that with Floris, when they changed their packaging style a few years ago. Well, it'll be interesting to see which way Penhaligons goes with distribution, once the Saks situation ends. Interestingly, when I was in Cambridge Chemists last month, they had some Penhaligon's products. They haven't been able to stock any for years, since the deal with Bergdorfs, and then with Saks. Regards, Gordon