The announcement that Hudson’s Bay Co. will be taken private was merely the latest evidence of the ever-increasing pressure on the department store sector to transform itself in the face of shifting consumer expectations.

In the case of Hudson’s Bay subsidiary Saks Fifth Avenue, that transformation will include the debut of licensed departments under the brand of now-defunct fellow department store Barney’s both in  stores and online. Saks licensed the name from Authentic Brands Group, which late last year acquired the rights to the Barney’s brand following a messy fight in bankruptcy court.

Then there’s Macy’s, which yesterday reported a holiday season “sales decline [that] wasn’t as sharp as investors had feared…” (wrote the Wall Street Journal) while also disclosing plans to close 29 department stores in the coming year.

All are seeking the right alchemy of profitable showmanship, experiential elements and product mix to make them what the best ones long have been – destinations for consumers to discover, bond with and buy well-curated assortments of merchandise.

Other developments to watch:

• While other chains move toward off-price, Nordstrom’s went the opposite direction, making  a big luxe play when it opened its new New York City flagship last fall complete with an experiential twist that’s increasingly becoming a key ingredient to attract footfall. Nordstrom is expected to expand the concept to other stores, giving consumers the ability to book in-store beauty treatments and grab a bite at six food and beverage concepts.
• Online women’s clothing rental service Le Tote provided a lifeline to Lord & Taylor, which it bought last year from Hudson’s Bay. Le Tote opened Rental Studio last October in a Lord & Taylor location in Yonkers, NY to enable customers to view a selection of the subscription box service’s inventory and it’s expected to expand the concept further this year. It also added a 2,400-sq.-ft. pop-up Lord & Taylor in New York’s Soho neighborhood in December, a sharp departure from the brand’s former towering flagship location on Fifth Avenue that has since been sold off to WeWork.