Britannica Money (2024)

Neiman Marcus, prestigious department-store chain. It was founded in Dallas, Texas, in 1907, and from the beginning its owners featured unusual merchandise. It caters to the opulently wealthy, supplying unique and extravagant gift items. The store also offers moderate-income customers a more standard selection of fashions and department-store items. Special promotions and services, many of which were developed by Stanley Marcus, made Neiman Marcus a retailing legend. The company’s glossy Christmas catalog has become famous for its sensational displays as well as its bizarre, exotic, and unique Christmas gift creations. Neiman Marcus gained a reputation as “the store that can get you anything.”

In 1951 Neiman Marcus opened its first branch store; by the early 21st century it had more than 30 stores in the United States. The company was acquired by Broadway-Hale Stores, Inc., in 1969, and Harcourt General gained controlling interest of Neiman Marcus Group, which included Neiman Marcus and the retailer Bergdorf Goodman, in 1987. The company expanded Neiman Marcus’s mail-order business in 1988 by acquiring The Horchow Collection, a luxury catalog company. From 1999 to 2005 Neiman Marcus Group was a publicly held company.