NEIMAN GROUP EYES EXPANSION.(Neiman Marcus Group)

Byline: David Moin, With contributions from Sharon Edelson and Marc Karimzadeh

NEW YORK - Under new ownership, the Neiman Marcus Group is getting daring.

Bergdorf Goodman could branch out with a store in Las Vegas, and the company is close to launching a handful of scaled-down Neiman Marcus stores for fall openings, which vendors say will be geared to attract younger customers with "more affordable luxury" emphasizing contemporary fashion, in places like Tysons Corner, Va.; the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C., and Century City, Calif.

Asked about Bergdorf's designs on Vegas, Burt Tansky, chairman and chief executive officer of the Neiman Marcus Group, said Monday, "We are evaluating the possibility."

He declined to comment further.

Sources close to the company said that at this point, serious thought regarding Bergdorf's expansion only revolves around Vegas, though one vendor said Los Angeles had also been discussed.

A Las Vegas store has the best chance of getting off the ground in Taubman Centers' luxury retail development to be included in Project CityCenter, MGM/Mirage's $5 billion project that has a target debut date of 2009.

One source close to the store said Bergdorf's has been considering the city for about a year. At the Taubman development, "They're …