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Hermès is working on three major US stores right now. The first, on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, will be a serious improvement over their existing LA property. WWD reports that the luxury brand bought a building on Rodeo for a cool $75 million last year and has been operating in a temporary space during the construction period. When the official flagship opens in September, it'll have double the space for Birkins, scarfs and other assorted five-dollar-sign goods—in fact, they'll have a third floor entirely dedicated to home products plus a roof garden where shoppers can lounge after emptying their wallets.
Hermès is also upgrading in Atlanta where next year, a store will bow at the Buckhead Atlanta (formerly the Streets of Buckhead), a billion-dollar mixed-use development slated to open in late 2013.
Perhaps most interesting is what Hermès executives have planned for Miami. Long ensconced in the safe, cushy Bal Harbour Shops, the company made the move to the city's "grittier" Design District earlier this year with a temporary shop. They're not exactly lone cowboys on the range: Céline, Cartier, Christian Louboutin, Dior, Maison Martin Margiela, Marni and Louis Vuitton have all set up nearby. Hermès has a three-story, 12,000-square-foot outpost in the works there; it's set to debut next year as well. It will be the company's third flagship outside of New York and Los Angeles.
Future plans may include another San Francisco or LA unit and expansions to existing properties in Seattle, Dallas, Houston and Boston.
· Hermès Making American Push [WWD, sub req]
· Hermes Discreetly Opens In The Design District; A Hot Rumor [Curbed Miami]
· Cars, Birkins, and Dead Bugs: Expensive Things Designers Collect [Racked]
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