Neiman Marcus has a posh sister store reserved for the wealthiest elites
But the brand, which recently filed to go public, also owns a store that's even more elite - Bergforf Goodman.
Bergdorf has two locations in Manhattan, while Neiman Marcus doesn't currently operate in New York City.
Bergdorf Goodman, therefore, is often associated with the Upper East Side elite, which was recently immortalized and rendered notorious in Wednesday Martin's memoir, "Park Avenue Primates." She wrote that "dropping $10,000 at Bergdorf Goodman or Barneys in a day is not necessarily a huge deal," for such wealthy women.
That detail alone says volumes about the company's clientele.
While both are high-end department stores with some similarities, there is one major difference between the stores.
Bergdorf Goodman is even more elite than its more ubiquitous counterpart. Think about it: Neiman Marcus even operates a discounted store, Neiman Marcus Last Call. Bergdorf does not.
"From my research perspective, you see Bergdorf Goodman as the top of the NM brand pyramid, the most exclusive of their brands, owing much to the legacy NYC department store on 5th Avenue & 57th street," luxury expert, Pamela Danziger, explained in an email to Business Insider.
She explained that while the two stores "carry many of the same brands, Bergdorf is positioned toward a higher, more exclusive customer and while [Neiman Marcus], especially its Dallas store attracts an equally wealthy clientele, the brands express luxury lifestyles in different ways."
"Wealth is wealth and quantifiable, but luxury is a mindset," she wrote, while adding that "NYC luxury is expressed in very different ways than [Texas]-style luxury, and with [Neiman Marcus] stores all across the country the Neiman Marcus brand reflects many of those regional differences. Bergdorf is very much a New-York centric brand."
"Overall sales and patronage of [Neiman Marcus] stores is much larger, mainly because there are more [Neiman Marcus] stores which appeal to a broader-based clientele. Bergdorf more exclusive overall, drawing from a much narrower client base," Danziger wrote to Business Insider. " While I hesitate to use the term 'mass' when talking about either brand, the fact is Neiman Marcus is more 'mass' luxury, while Bergdorf is much more 'class.'"
Fortune reported Neiman Marcus is planning to up a location in New York City in 2018.