Neiman Marcus starts to prepare for public offering

According to a Wall Street Journal story, while an IPO at Neiman Marcus isn’t coming soon, it’s a likely eventuality. The story reports that as the private equity group that paid $5.1 billion for the luxury department store chain seven years ago starts to plan its exit strategy, analysts say. The chain, with sales of $4.4 billion in the most recent fiscal year, has been beefing up its e-commerce efforts and made its first international foray with a $28 million investment in a Chinese fashion website.