Continuing our Holiday 2019 series, our Global Holiday Cities reports feature exciting and innovative stores, events and marketing campaigns by retailers and shopping centers in three cities: New York, London and Shanghai. In this report, we feature highlights from New York City.

Top Holiday Retail Stores, Events and Campaigns in New York City

Brookfield Place, Luxury Mall Draws Record Mall Traffic with Holiday Events [caption id="attachment_101522" align="aligncenter" width="700"] The Nutcracker at Brookfield Place, performed by the New York City Ballet
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   Brookfield Place is a luxury mall in New York City’s financial district across from the site of the former World Trade Center offering a range of family holiday activities. High-end retail offerings include Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Ferragamo, Tory Burch, Bottega Venetta and Theory, among others. The mall also includes Le District, a modern French food hall with an upscale grocery, crêperie, bar and pâtisserie. It includes a restaurant and mini stations to eat and enjoy beverages. In 2018, Le District was given a “best in the world” award for design for its food court by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). [caption id="attachment_101523" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Lighting at Brookfield Place, changing colors every hour, orchestrated to holiday music
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   Brookfield Place turns up the charm for the holidays, with events that draw tourists and New Yorkers alike. At the beginning of the season, Brookfield Place opens its skating rink on the Hudson River for the year—along with a spectacular view. On the first weekend in December, Brookfield Place hosted a free performance of the Nutcracker by the New York Theatre Ballet. Brookfield Place also features luminaries: consumers are invited to make a wish at one of the three glowing “wishing stations.” For every wish, Brookfield Place donates $1, up to $25,000 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. The lights in the winter garden (the marble foyer) play Christmas carols on the hour, every hour, illuminating in different colors. [caption id="attachment_101524" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Immersive artwork at Hudson Yard
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   New York City’s Newest Shopping Center, Hudson Yards, Holds Nightly Events for Kids (and Kids at Heart) Touted as the new cultural center of Manhattan, Hudson Yards opened March 2019 and is already creating new holiday traditions for the city. On Black Friday, Hudson Yards premiered an indoor-outdoor light and music installation anchored by light artist Christopher Schardt and sculptural installation Lyra (inspired by the constellation of the same name) called Shine On. The series of five large star-shaped sculptures, each made of 12,000 individually controllable LED lights, is synchronized to a soundtrack of seasonal music. The shopping center has fun and games for all, from SAP’s sponsored Holiday Match & Win game and limited edition $5 bracelets that unlock special access and offers at Hudson Yards, to hot chocolate sampling, greeting card photo opps and holiday selfie cookies. The shopping at Hudson Yards is a mix of old and new, high-end and not-so-high-end: Brooks Brothers, Cartier, Coach, Neiman Marcus, Piaget, Tiffany and Tory Burch mingle with Forty Five Ten, M.Gemi, Rhone and The Conservatory. Patek Philippe and Vilebrequin share the space with H&M, Muji, Uniqlo and Zara. [caption id="attachment_101525" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Dressing Room at The Conservatory, Hudson Yards
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   Hudson Yards has two Brian Bolke boutiques, one on the ground floor called The Conservatory, is a luxury concept boutique offering an exquisitely edited assortment of contemporary lifestyle products to discover, explore, try on, feel and touch. Some items can be purchased and taken home, but others have to be ordered instore (or at the brand’s digital flagship, theconservatorynyc.com). [caption id="attachment_101526" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Forty Five Ten Vintage Shop
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   The other is luxury retailer Forty Five Ten, which has three boutiques on the top floor of Hudson Yards: a store dedicated to contemporary luxury apparel, one to vintage luxury and another for beauty and wellness. Iconic Rockefeller Center Transforms into a Holiday Mall and Light Show Rockefeller Center is an iconic complex of buildings located between 48^th and 51^th Streets in Midtown Manhattan, including 14 original buildings in the art deco style located between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Construction began in the 1930s, and the project employed more than 40,000 during the Great Depression. The Center is anchored by the world-famous Radio City Music Hall, home to the Rockettes dancers, on the corner of Sixth Avenue and 50^th Street. Rockefeller Center holds a key spot on the must-visit list of every tourist to New York City. The complex offers many stores, restaurants, cafes, ice skating as well as tours of NBC Studios. [caption id="attachment_101527" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Rockefeller Center, looking toward Fifth Avenue
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   Rockefeller Center is in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, centered on one iconic tower, 30 Rockefeller Plaza (“30 Rock”), is fronted by a sunken ice rink and a bronze statue of Atlas facing Fifth Avenue. The iconic Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store stands across the street on Fifth Avenue, and just down the street is the Neo-Gothic Roman St. Patrick’s Cathedral, also a big tourist draw. 30 Rockefeller Plaza has been immortalized in the intros to many seasons of the Saturday Night Live comedy show, and it is home to the NBC television network, which produces the Tonight Show and Late Night. The tower, currently named the Comcast Building, was also the setting for the TV comedy 30 Rock. During the holidays, Rockefeller Center transforms into a festive outdoor holiday mall, capped by a light display at Saks Fifth Avenue. The holiday season kicks off in earnest with the delivery and lighting of the Christmas tree. This year’s tree is a 77-foot tall, 46-feet diameter Norway spruce, whose lighting on December 4 is always a major event. Due to the large number of visitors, the city blocks off 49^th and 50^th streets, creating a huge outdoor mall that spills into the side streets from Fifth to Sixth Avenues. [caption id="attachment_101528" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Rockefeller Center Christmas tree
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   Rockefeller Center offers prime real estate for numerous retailers, including Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Cole Haan, J. Crew, Kate Spade, Michael Kors and Tiffany. One recent addition is the revamped F.A.O. Schwarz toy store, whose original store was immortalized in the 1988 movie Big starring Tom Hanks. The store is known for its unique toy assortment including danceable piano keyboards and enormous stuffed animals. [caption id="attachment_101529" align="aligncenter" width="700"] FAO Schwarz window display
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   While Rockefeller Center is a tourist magnet most of year, it becomes absolutely mobbed during the holidays, with New Yorkers and visitors packing in to see the tree, the lights, ice skaters and to take photos. Saks offers a changing light show on its Fifth Avenue façade, and the area on Fifth Avenue was at times jammed with onlookers watching and recording the show. [caption id="attachment_101530" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Saks Fifth Avenue light show
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   Contemporary Art, Sweeping Architecture and an Illuminated Seasonal Exhibit Make The Shops At Columbus Circle a Destination This Holiday [caption id="attachment_101531" align="aligncenter" width="480"] The Shops at Columbus Circle atrium
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   In true New York style, the city’s first mall has curated an offering of some of the city’s most iconic offerings, combining Winton Marsalis’ Jazz at Lincoln Center ‘JALC’ (three venues: Dizzy’s Place, the Rose Theatre and the Appel Room), two three-Michelin starred restaurants, Thomas Keller’s Per Se and Masa Takayama’s Masa (sushi) restaurant, along with a smattering of specialty shops, kiosks and more pedestrian eateries. The Shops at Columbus Circle are six floors of indulgence overlooking Columbus Circle and Central Park in an award-winning galleria designed by Elkus Manfredi. One holiday installation is called “Holiday Under the Stars,” running from November 11 to January 5, it is the largest specialty crafted exhibit of illuminated color mixing in the world and features twelve, 14-foot stars that hang from the ceiling of the 150-foot atrium overlooking iconic Central Park. There are performances daily from 5:00 pm until 11:00 pm every half hour. [caption id="attachment_101532" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Williams Sonoma at The Shops at Columbus Circle
Source: Coresight Research[/caption]   The average New Yorker may have a kitchen the size of a postage stamp, but when the holidays and cold weather arrive, traffic at Williams-Sonoma increases and shoppers queue up to pay for cookery, specialty foods and holiday inspired linens and foods. Renowned for taste tests, cooking classes and events hosting famous chefs launching cookbooks, Williams-Sonoma at The Shops at Columbus Circle has regularly scheduled events for local foodies. Its current exclusive assortments include a collaboration with textile Scalamandre for Chiang Mai Dragon pillows and Schmacher for the Chiang Mai Dragon table top offerings of serving bowls, noodle bowls and salad plates. [caption id="attachment_101533" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Amazon Books at The Shops at Columbus Circle
Source; Coresight Research[/caption]   The Shops at Columbus Circle are home to more than 50 retail shops and boutiques, including one of two Amazon Books in New York City. The book selection is based on Amazon.com customer ratings, pre-orders, sales, popularity on Goodreads, and curators’ assessments. Amazon devices such as the Amazon Echo, Kindle e-readers, Fire tablets and Fire TV can be tested.