Carrying Bags on Michigan Avenue

Emporium Luggage Inc. (Arlington Heights, Ill.), a 10-store Chicago-area retail chain, has opened a new unit in the Shops of North Bridge on Michigan Avenue, in a 3592-square-foot space formerly occupied by El Portal, the California-based retailer that has gone out of business.

According to a report in Crain's Chicago Business, Emporium Luggage will sell a similar collection of high-end suitcases, handbags and desk accessories.

As the travel industry remains in a slump, Emporium partner David Wein (son of company founder Irving Wein), said his company is “cautiously optimistic” about its new store. “We are seeing steady improvements in the travel industry and feel confident that it will bounce back,” he told Crain's. But even without a rebound, he is confident that the store's location on Chicago's premier shopping strip will generate strong sales.

Even though the El Portal chain was struggling, its North Bridge store was evidently a strong performer, and the North Bridge management sought out Emporium to fill El Portal's space, a mall spokeswoman said. “Luggage is a very desired merchandise category for the shopping center,” she said.

North Bridge, which opened in 2000, posted 2002 sales of over $560 per square foot, a double-digit increase over the year earlier, according to the spokeswoman. The mall's occupancy level is said to stand at about 95 percent.

Emporium Luggage operates four stores in the Chicago area, selling upscale brands such as Tumi, Hartmann and Brighton. It also runs four discount stores under the Irv's Luggage Warehouse banner and three Executive Essentials stores selling pens and business accessories.