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NEW YORK - Michael Gould, Bloomingdale's chairman and chief executive, is in the mood to gloat.
For the third year in a row, Bloomingdale's 59th Street flagship has been named the most popular department store in the city by Zagat Survey. "It speaks volumes about our store," said a pleased Gould last week after the 2006 survey results were released.
"This is not three people sitting around at a table talking about shopping. It's 7,000 to 8,000 people who were surveyed. They're not saying Bloomingdale's is the most expensive or that it has the best of everything. They're just saying it's their favorite place.
"People see Bloomingdale's as different than Saks, Bergdorf's and Barneys," he continued. "They are great brands and terrific stores. But they recognize Bloomingdale's because they see a different DNA, a different energy level, a different beat and a much broader range of merchandise. Lots of [retailers] can flourish in Manhattan because they have different perspectives on life, but the uniqueness of Bloomingdale's is very clear. That's what's behind our success."
In popularity among department stores, Bloomingdale's was followed in order by Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy's, Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys New York.
According to Zagat, 7,710 people rated their experiences at 2,145 stores. The survey was conducted online...