There’s something very different about Century 21 branches. For nearly six decades, the New York store has introduced products from genuine designers with significant discounts. It is appreciated through its unwavering clients, however, COVID-19 confuses its successful business formula.
Century 21 is a retail theater. Buyers are willing to spend hours on bargains on high-end products with up to 65% off. Vogue magazine called Century 21 a position “where hoi pollutes through fashion and fashion intellectuality is obsessively rubbed off.”
Unlike other stores that have come and gone to the Big Apple, Century 21 remains a grocery shopping destination. Trip Advisor recommends Century 21 as one of the ‘best things to do in New York’. Travel- Leisure has just said: “For fashion lovers, Century 21 is a sanctuary.”
Century 21 operates 11 locations in the Metropolitan Domain of New York and its flagship branch in midtown Manhattan is almost as much a tourist charm as a branch. But COVID-19 has particularly curbed grocery shopping and sightseeing in the domain.
Heather Feinmel, director of marketing and public relations at Century 21, recognizes the demanding situations of doing business in New York COVID-19. “Our flagship store in midtown Manhattan has been very complicated due to declining traffic from tourists and local staff working in the area.”
In mid-March, all Century 21 outlets were closed due to quarantine restrictions. However, in the following month, all outlets have reopened as unwavering consumers return cautiously to in-store purchases. “We are positive about business, even though traffic remains difficult, yet we are incredibly affected by the number of unwavering consumers returning to the store when we open our doors and continue with us now,” Says Feinmel.
Due to the COVID-19 crisis, Century 21 has recently made some difficult decisions. In early June, the company permanently laid off more than 1,000 employees, from corporate-level positions to sales force.
“There’s no doubt they came to COVID-19,” says retail rep Jan Rogers Kniffen. “What we don’t know is that they can go through the gutter. It’s not like they did anything wrong. I’m sure they’re just saving money.”
Kniffen believes that the existing crisis can be felt precisely in the 21st century. As a company with a strong investment in an area devastated by COVID-19, “there is simply no business in New York right now.” Century 21 also operates a store in downtown Philadelphia, on the former flagship Strawbridge – Clothier, and a store at the huge Sawgrass Mills grocery mall in South Florida. Both sites are located in heavily affected spaces and rely incredibly on tourists’ money.
But Century 21 is no stranger to tragedy. The company’s flagship product is across the street from the World Trade Center on Cortlandt Street in the former East River Savings Bank building. On 11 September 2001, more than 500 workers and consumers were inside the workshop when the first aircraft crashed into the north tower. All were evacuated temporarily and safely, and they were aware of it.
Although structurally sound, Century 21 spent $10 million to temporarily repair the very broken structure. Evisceration and reconstruction of the branch’s interior took less than six months. When the ruins of the World Trade Center reappeared right in front of its main entrance, Century 21 reopened on February 28, 2002.
It took several years to reconstruct the volume of his flagship in midtown Manhattan. Without workers, the buildings in the monetary district and many streets remained closed to pedestrians. Feinmel says, “The last time Century 21 Stores closed its doors on September 11, when our downtown store suffered severe damage, and as we did then, we know we’re going through this era and we came out stronger.”
In 1961, Sonny and Al Gindi opened the first Century 21 branch in a modest 5,000-square-foot showcase and Gindi’s family circle that members retain from the company today. The call referred to the upcoming 1962 “Century 21 Exhibition” to be held in downtown Seattle. The aim of the fair was to wait for how humans would live, paint and probably eat in 2000.
Century 21’s reputation as a reliable source of reduced style products can help you save your long term at this critical time. “Century 21 is the ‘real deal’,” Kniffen says. “He never replaced character. He has been promoting designer garments with a 65% reduction since 1961.”
Feinmel lists some of the settings and inventions century 21 is implementing to ensure some protection for visitors to the new COVID-19 world. “The effect of COVID-19 has accelerated the desire to reinvent the visitor experience in the store. We’re testing new programs, like a live in-store broadcast. In addition, we will host personal shopping events to help consumers feel comfortable”.
Despite the challenges, Century 21 is cautiously optimistic about its future. “We are committed to making our best efforts at this difficult time to keep our business alive,” feinmel says.
Kniffen can provide the most productive explanation for why Century 21 has a great chance of long-term success. “New Yorkers know that buying groceries at Century 21 is rarely very cheap, it’s great.”
I have been quoted in media publications as “historian”, “lecturer”, “expert”, “guru”, “amateur”, “addict” and “maven”. I’m an oboist with the
I have been quoted in media publications as “historian”, “lecturer”, “expert”, “guru”, “amateur”, “drug addict” and “maven”. I’m an oboist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and I grew up in the Philadelphia area. My mom went shopping every day and I fell in love with road trips and store branches, two of her favorite passions. In 2009, I took on a non-public challenge and wrote an e-book about Hutzler in Baltimore. He had six prints in six weeks. I have written nine more history eBooks at retail branches and lectured at places like the New York Public Library, boston Public Library, New York Fashion Week, Wanamaker Centennial Celebration and the Washington DC Historical Society. I have collaborated with the New York Times, wall street journal, Fortune and Southern Living. I love telling stories and my research. I’m also in www.branchstorehistory.net.