Hudson Yards Unveils 'Floor Of Discovery' At The Shops & Restaurants

NEW YORK, NY – January 15, 2019 – Hudson Yards today unveiled its second floor offerings, dubbed the Floor of Discovery, at The Shops & Restaurants at Hudson Yards. The Floor of Discovery will house a unique collection of first locations from digitally native brands and experiential shopping offerings from modern brands. These offerings will open alongside the broader neighborhood on March 15, 2019.

Retailers coming to the Floor of Discovery include: Mack Weldon’s first-ever store; Rhone’s first permanent store; Heidi Klein’s first U.S. store; M.Gemi’s first permanent store in New York City featuring community events and VIP appointment booking powered by Resy; Milk & Honey Babies; MUJI, which will include a custom embroidery station and in-store coffee service; Stance; b8ta’s first in-line store in New York City; FRANKIE CoLAB’s first permanent flagship store in New York; a concept store from L’Oréal; UNIQLO; Lovepop; Madewell; BATCH and AG Jeans by Adriano Goldschmied. Food and beverage offerings on this floor include a new concept from Citarella with dine-in services and expanded takeaway options; The Drug Store, a retail concept from DIRTY LEMON parent company Iris Nova, features a unique bar experience alongside a cashierless vending store; and Momofuku’s Fuku.

The Floor of Discovery will also be home to Snark Park, a permanent exhibition space from Snarkitecture featuring a tri-annually rotating schedule of playful and immersive design environments. Each Snark Park installation will be accompanied by a unique retail experience, including an exclusive partnership with KITH Treats, Snarkitecture-designed limited edition objects, as well as one-of-a-kind collaborations with brands from around the world.

“The addition of sought-after emerging brands and one-of-a-kind experiences round out our already exceptional collection of leading brands in every category from luxury to fast-fashion. A spirit of creativity unites the Floor of Discovery, from shopping to dining to Snark Park’s imaginative exhibitions,” said Related Companies Retail Specialist Esty Ottensoser. “It reflects our passion for creating a destination that fosters retail innovation, offering our customers and retail partners opportunities to explore new products, services and technologies.”

The Shops & Restaurants, anchored by New York City’s first Neiman Marcus, comprise more than a mile of shopping and feature over 100 shops and restaurants. Many of these locations will be the first of their kind and encompass a wide range of unique offerings, from New York’s first Forty Five Ten boutique to the first international restaurant from rhubarb, London’s premier hospitality group. Visitors will have direct access to the High Line and an underground connection to the No. 7 Subway, making the Hudson Yards retail center one of the most connected shopping destinations in the city.

“Related’s innovative approach to retail made our decision to open Mack Weldon’s first store at Hudson Yards a no-brainer. Together we share the vision that high-touch, immersive and unique customer experiences will continually shape the future of retail. We’re eager to interact face-to-face with the thousands of Mack Weldon customers who will be at Hudson Yards daily, providing them with the same convenient shopping experience they’ve had with our brand online for years,” said Brian Berger, Founder and CEO of Mack Weldon.

“At just over four years old, it’s incredible to see the growth our company has achieved in such a short amount of time, including the expansion of our offline retail efforts,” said Barbara Nealey, Director of Retail Operations for Rhone. “While we have been testing out pop-up and short term retail for the last two years, we’re excited to partner with Hudson Yards to launch the first-ever permanent brick and mortar Rhone retail concept. Hudson Yards is a luxury property that offers an unparalleled experience, and we couldn’t think of a better home for the Rhone brand than in our backyard of New York City.”

“Heidi Klein is thrilled to launch our store in the prestigious Hudson Yards development. We’re looking to really raise the bar in retail experience for our discerning U.S. customer base, who have until now followed us so loyally through our stockists and online. We’ve been waiting to find exactly the right space; this is the perfect partnership for our brand,” stated Heidi Gosman, Creative Director and Founder of Heidi Klein.

“After experimenting with various pop-up formats in NYC, we are thrilled to be setting down permanent roots at Hudson Yards. This space will allow us to create M.Gemi’s most immersive retail experience yet, bringing our ethos of ‘Italian luxury, made the old way, sold the new way’ to life. Our shoppers will enjoy an Italian cafe-inspired space, complete with VIP shopping appointments powered by Resy and community events,” said Cheryl Kaplan, Co-Founder & President of M.Gemi.

“At Milk & Honey Babies, new parents can shop and explore a modern selection of high quality, eco-friendly and non-toxic baby products in one convenient location. Hudson Yards’ innovative shopping experience make it the perfect destination for us to introduce our unique offerings and services to the community’s parents and professionals,” said Ariana Adams, Owner of Milk & Honey Babies.

“It is an honor for MUJI to be a part of the Hudson Yards development as a pioneering retail space in the Floor of Discovery,” noted MUJI USA President Toru Akita. “This store will not only be one of our largest in the U.S., but will feature some of our most engaging retail experiences – including our embroidery station, which allows customers to personalize their MUJI fabric products, and an in-store coffee service.”

“We see Hudson Yards as the retail embodiment of our brand – a convergence of community, culture and commerce that represents an innovative approach to an experience that has traditionally been pretty one dimensional,” said John Wilson, co-founder and President of Stance. “It makes perfect sense for us to have a retail presence there and we are excited to be a part of the forefront of retail at Hudson Yards.”

“We are excited to bring our ‘Retail as a Service’ concept to Hudson Yards. b8ta was founded on the principals of both making retail accessible for product designers and offering a space to discover new and innovative products,” said b8ta Co-founder and President Phillip Raub. “When Hudson Yards first approached us about the opportunity of being on the 2nd floor with other disruptive brands, we knew it would be the ideal home for b8ta.”

“New York’s first FRANKIE CoLAB in Hudson Yards is a must-visit designer concept store that has no limit of imagination. The open interior with modular fixtures is flexible and re-arrangeable to support a variety of private shopping appointments and events, as well as showcase our product mix of highly limited designer editions, rare independent brands, avant-garde labels, exclusive artists and designer products,” said Kevin Chen, CoLAB CREAToR.

“We are honored to have Hudson Yards as our 7th location in the New York Metro Area. We look forward to bringing LifeWear – our thoughtfully designed apparel made for all – to such a transformative destination for those who live in and visit the great city of New York,” said Hiroshi Taki, UNIQLO USA CEO.

“We are beyond excited to have Hudson Yards as the home for Lovepop’s first brick and mortar store, and to join our fellow digital native brands connecting with consumers offline. The intersection of commerce and technology becomes real in the form of experiences, but those experiences aren’t restricted to only the Internet or the physical world. We switch between those worlds in our everyday life. With our retail expansion, we will be able to connect and fully realize the two,” said Wombi Rose, co-founder and CEO Lovepop. “At Lovepop Hudson Yards, our goal is to create an unexpected experience that we’ve never showcased before. You’ll see engineering and design that immerse you into our style of art and that will inspire you to do something for somebody special in your life.”

“We’re investing in experiential retail to test new concepts and connect with consumers outside of the digital space. The Drug Store at Hudson Yards is a place where customers can enjoy handcrafted versions of new beverage products and, in doing so, contribute to the process that determines our new product launches on a national scale,” noted Zak Normandin, Founder & CEO, Iris Nova (DIRTY LEMON, The Drug Store).

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ABOUT HUDSON YARDS:

Hudson Yards is being developed by Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group and is a new neighborhood on Manhattan’s West Side. The largest private development in the United States, Hudson Yards comprises more than 18 million square feet of mixed-use development. Hudson Yards includes over 100 shops and restaurants, including New York City’s first Neiman Marcus and signature restaurants and food experiences by Chefs and restaurateurs Thomas Keller; José Andrés; David Chang; Michael Lomonaco; Costas Spiliadis; rhubarb and Chef Dan Doherty; and D&D London; approximately 4,000 residences; 14-acres of public open space; a unique cultural space; a 750-seat public school and an Equinox Hotel® with more than 200 rooms – all offering unparalleled amenities for residents, employees and guests. For more information on Hudson Yards, please visit www.HudsonYardsNewYork.com.

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CONTACTS:

Related Companies:
Kathleen Anne Corless
(212) 320-9654
[email protected]

Derris:
Nick Rosen-Wachs
646.362.0795
[email protected]