Henri Bendel

This article is about the brand and its stores. For its founder, see Henri Willis Bendel.
Henri Bendel, Inc.
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryRetail
Founded1895; 129 years ago (1895)
FounderHenri Willis Bendel
DefunctJanuary 28, 2019 (2019-01-28)[1]
FateDissolved
Headquarters
712 Fifth Avenue
New York City
,
United States
Number of locations
29 stores (Jan 2015)[2]
Area served
United States
ProductsWomen's clothing
ParentL Brands
WebsiteArchived official website at the Wayback Machine (archive index)

Henri Bendel, Inc. (pronounced BEN-del), established in 1895,[3] was a women's department store based in New York City which in its later history sold women's handbags, jewelry, luxury fashion accessories, home fragrances, chocolate and gifts.[4] Its New York City store was located at 10 West 57th street. In 1985, when purchased by Limited, the new owner moved the store to 712 Fifth Avenue.[5]

Henri Bendel was the first retailer to have its own fragrance, to offer in-store makeovers, and to stage its own fashion show.[6] The retailer is credited with developing the concession, or shop-within-a-shop merchandising concept that is in use in some department stores today.[7]

Composer Cole Porter namedrops the brand in the couplet "You're a Bendel Bonnet / a Shakespeare Sonnet" from the popular 1934 song "You're the Top", first made famous by Ethel Merman.

Owner L Brands announced plans in September 2018 to close all 23 stores, ending the brand; operations ceased in January 2019.[1]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference NYT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Brands 2010 Annual Report
  3. ^ "The Story of Henri Bendel". Henribendel.com. Henri Bendel. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  4. ^ Born, Pete (16 April 2014). "Henri Bendel Cutting Ties With Third-Party Vendors". Women's Wear Daily. Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  5. ^ "Stores". Henribendel.com. Henri Bendel. Archived from the original on 7 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  6. ^ "Henri Bendel Comes To Gilt!". Gilt. Archived from the original on 24 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYT Stutz obit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).