What: On The BoF Podcast, Bloomingdale's CEO Olivier Bron said the US chain has near-universal awareness but not yet the desirability it needs in luxury, and has cut its brand count by about 10% to give the remaining brands more space.

Why it is important: By giving fewer brands more space and backing its top personal shoppers, Bloomingdale's is competing for the relationship with the highest-spending clients, the same ground contested by Bergdorf Goodman and independent personal shoppers.

After 30 years of US department store closures, bankruptcies and discounting, Bloomingdale's grew comparable sales by more than 11% last quarter, its second consecutive quarter of double-digit growth, while much of the luxury industry struggles to grow. Bron, who became CEO nearly three years ago, argues the chain must give shoppers a reason to walk in.

He separates awareness from desirability: Bloomingdale's is known across the US, but its credibility in luxury lags, a gap he attributes to an obsession with short-term financial returns, and one he also sees at major European luxury houses. The luxury renovation has reduced the brand count by about 10%, deepening relationships with the remaining brands.

Top personal shoppers operate as businesses within the business, with Bloomingdale's providing the brands, inventory, systems and space to maximise their sales. Home has widened what associates can sell, since clients spending millions on fashion spend similarly on their homes.

Bloomingdale's wealthiest customers are growing in number and spending more, though Bron cites the midterm elections and AI-driven market jitters as risks. Drawing on his turnaround of Galeries Lafayette's 70 stores, he puts execution ahead of strategy, within a philosophy that balances instinct, data and care for customers.

IADS Notes: Bron's distinction between awareness and desirability underpins his plan to move Bloomingdale's from premium contemporary to high luxury, renovating the New York flagship and 10 stores over five years and favouring dwell time over yield from every inch of space (Monocle, September 2026). His view of Europe's largest luxury houses is consistent with their recent results: over the first half of 2026, Gucci comparable revenue fell 5% and LVMH Fashion & Leather Goods declined 1% organically, while US department stores grew by raising spend per purchase, with Macy's average unit retail up 9% (PYMNTS, September 2026). The weight he places on top personal shoppers is mirrored at Bergdorf Goodman, where the 40 highest-volume associates generate about $200 million in annual sales and half of revenue comes from clients spending more than $10,000 a year (The New York Times, October 2026). Retaining that talent inside the store has become a competitive issue, as independent personal shoppers, many of them former staff laid off at Saks, Matchesfashion and Net-a-Porter, now capture the top-client relationship on commissions starting at 10% of spend while brands struggle to train and keep their best in-store associates (Financial Times, October 2026).

Olivier Bron on making Bloomingdale's desirable again