Right now might seem like a strange time to open a new menswear store in a mall: The pandemic has hit brick and mortar retailers hard as more people are shopping online; employees have fewer reasons to dress up for work; and customers have said they’re less inclined to shop in malls for fear of the virus spreading indoors.
But Saks Fifth Avenue is bullish on the Back Bay. On Friday, it opened its new menswear store in the space formerly occupied by Barneys, which shuttered this past winter after filing for bankruptcy last August. Barneys’ new owner, the licensing company Authentic Brands, worked out a partnership to have Saks take over occupancy of the two-level store in the Copley Place mall.
Saks already has a storefront in the Prudential Center at 800 Boylston Street, and will operate the two in tandem, said Joe Gambino, a vice president and general manager at the company who will oversee both stores.
The new location will be dedicated entirely to menswear, and will introduce over 30 new brands to the chain’s Boston presence, as well as services like made-to-measure tailoring, Gambino said.
“Mens is a huge portion of our total business, more so than ever, and it’s always been a high performing business,” he said. But the existing men’s shop in the Prudential Center was somewhat cramped and didn’t provide the opportunity they thought they could have with male shoppers.
“We candidly weren’t serving our customers the way we thought we could with extended offerings and services,” he said. “And clearly having Barneys move out of the market left a white space for that customer and for our existing customer.”
While it might seem strange to open a new store while so many are closing in the city — after all, Lord and Taylor announced it would shut down its Prudential Center department store just last week — Saks may be looking to seize an opportunity, said Lauren Beitelspacher, a marketing professor at Babson College who studies retail.
“I’m wondering if this is a way to attract a different shopper and make shopping more experiential for men,” she said. Many menswear brands, like Brooks Brothers, which filed for bankruptcy last month, have failed to modernize and bring in a new, younger customer base. On Wednesday, the iconic menswear brand, which operated a sewing factory in Haverhill, was also acquired by Authentic Brands in a joint deal with Simon Malls.
Beitelspacher said that Saks has a younger audience, and may be able to tap into having a high-net-worth client base of college students in the Back Bay — when they return, of course.
“Watching this younger generation, they really want that high-touch experience when they can afford it, they don’t want the stodgy, and they want to feel a special and customized experience,” Beitelspacher said. “If Saks is able to leverage that and create a unique experience that doesn’t alienate their older customer, it could be really successful.”
Despite the overall slump in retail sales during the pandemic, Gambino said the luxury market has remained steady — he noted the lines he’s seen outside the Louis Vuitton and Gucci stores while wandering through Copley Place.
“Over the last few months, despite what COVID would tell you, we’ve seen continued strong double-digit growth in many markets but particularly in mens,” Gambino said. And with other area menswear stores still struggling to reopen, the company wanted to seize the moment.
“We think we are going to become the destination for the menswear luxury client,” he said.
Janelle Nanos can be reached at janelle.nanos@globe.com. Follow her @janellenanos.