Neiman Marcus, the century-old Dallas-based luxury retailer, may be sold to a partnership of private equity and the Canadian Pension Plan (which is exactly what it sounds like). NM currently carries some of the most refined (and expensive) menswear in the world with brands like Brunello Cucinelli, Kiton, and Maison Martin Margiela, and the store has long been known for its intentionally ridiculous Christmas catalogs, a brilliant marketing strategy started in the 1950s. Every year items like personal blimps or your likeness in Legos drum up boundless publicity (and some derision) for the store.
A change in ownership may not affect much, since the founding family sold NM in the 1960s and it has been owned by private equity firms for years. In addition to 41 Neiman Marcus stores and dozens of discount Last Call locations, Neiman Marcus also owns Bergdorf Goodman.
-Pete