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When Bergdorf Goodman opens its huge menswear store later this month, well-heeled shoppers waiting for alterations will be able to bide their time by getting a haircut, using a fax machine or tapping a golf ball around an indoor putting green.
These are among the amenities that Bergdorf - one of New York's best-known and swankiest retailers - will be featuring as it tries to lure affluent men willing to spend anywhere from $650 to $1,800 for a name-brand suit.
But opening such a store to sell high-priced merchandise in a sour economy, some retail experts said, is a high-risk move. Bergdorf insists that it knows its market.
"We expect to serve an exclusive clientele with high disposable income," said Ira Neimark, chairman of Bergdorf, which is transferring its men's department to a refurbished, 40,000-square-foot space across the street from its main shop at Fifth Avenue and 58th Street.
Neimark will rely on more than creature comforts,...