For the Carrie Bradshaw of New York (and all over the world) this is the most awaited news:
Century 21
, the paradise of brands at a discount price, will reopen the Ground Zero flagship that closed almost two years ago at the time of pandemic.
"In the 60 years of our history we had closed our doors only twice: the first after 9/11, and then again during Covid, but like all New Yorkers we have not thrown in the towel," said Raymond Gindi, the CEO. of what before Covid was a small and very popular chain among fashionistas worldwide looking in its vast inventory of Prada, Chanel or Versace garments that at the time of purchase did not jeopardize the wallet.
The new store, whose ribbon cutting is scheduled for spring 2023, will sell, like its predecessors, clothing for men, women and children, footwear, accessories and beauty products at reduced prices compared to the price list.
But it will be substantially more
small and will occupy only four floors and not seven of the original Cortlandt Street location behind the Freedom Tower.
It will also change the logo to include a "NYC" that emphasizes "New York roots".
Before closing Century 21 had 13 stores, mostly in New York and the metropolitan area, which employed 1,400 employees.
It went bankrupt in September 2020 after months of lockdown due to the Coronavirus.
However, the Gindi family had not thrown in the towel.
During the bankruptcy process, the heirs of "Sonny" and Al Gindi had re-appropriated the brand at a cost of 9 million dollars after a very crowded auction started at 800,000.
They then departed cautiously from Asia, securing a license to open a nine-story store in Busan, the second largest city in South Korea after Seoul.
The bet in New York, thanks to the agreement with the 'hospitality company' Legends, is on returning to work in the presence of the Wall Street area and on the recovery of tourism.
The history of Century 21 is closely linked to the founders' family.
Samuel "Sonny" Gindi was a Syrian Jew who was orphaned as a child and who had opened his first retail store at the age of 14.
The first Century 21, founded with his brother Al, was on 86th Street in Bay Ridge, the Brooklyn neighborhood where "Saturday Night Fever" is set.
Then came the one on Cortlandt Street, which over the years has become the flagship cited by Sarah Jessica Parker in "Sex and the City" as "the best aspect of jury duty": the paradise of the Manolo discount was just a few steps from the Manhattan courts. .
