Saks Fifth Avenue

{{See also|Timeline of Saks Fifth Avenue branches}}

File:Saks Building Indianapolis, 1906, one year after Andrew Saks big renovation.png

Andrew Saks was born to a German Jewish family, in Baltimore, Maryland. He worked as a peddler and paper boy before moving to Washington, D.C., where at the age of only 20, and in the still-chaotic and tough economic times of 1867, two years after the United States prevailed in the American Civil War, he established a men's clothing store{{cite web|url=http://cyrus.piedmont.edu/users/mgardner/Saks_Paper_6-22-05.html |title=What's in a Name?—A Brief History of Saks Fifth Avenue|first=Mark L. |last=Gardner|access-date=January 27, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140212133833/http://cyrus.piedmont.edu/users/mgardner/Saks_Paper_6-22-05.html |archive-date=February 12, 2014 }} with his brother Isadore.{{Cite web|title=Mauranna G. Lynn Is Engaged To Christopher Andrew Saks |work=The New York Times|date=February 15, 1976 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/02/15/archives/mauranna-g-lynn-is-engaged-to-christopher-andrew-saks.html }}{{Cite web |url=http://www.hbcheritage.ca/history/acquisitions/saks-fifth-avenue-historical-timeline |title=" Saks Fifth Avenue historical timeline", Hudson's Bay Company website |access-date=August 21, 2020 |archive-date=March 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200323155626/http://www.hbcheritage.ca/history/acquisitions/saks-fifth-avenue-historical-timeline |url-status=dead }} A. Saks & Co. occupied a storefront in the Avenue House Hotel building at 517 (300–308) 7th Street, N.W., in what is still Washington's downtown shopping district. Saks offered his goods at one price only, no bargaining, and offered refunds on merchandise returns, neither of which were the more common practice at that place and time.{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}} Saks was also known for its "forceful and interesting, but strictly truthful" newspaper advertising, according to the Washington Evening Star, including a two-page spread, large for that time, in that newspaper on April 4, 1898. Saks annexed the store next door, and in 1887 started building a large new store on the site of the old Avenue Hotel Building at 7th and Market Space (now United States Navy Memorial Plaza).{{cite news |title=Now Forty Years Old: Saks Firm to Celebrate Anniversary This Week: History in the Making: House Has Kept Pace with Washington's Growth: From Johnson's Time to Now: Souvenir Booklet Distribution the Feature of Quiet and Dignified Birthday Celebrations |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57789718/now-forty-years-old-saks-firm-to/ |publisher=Washington Evening Star |date=September 30, 1907 |page=10}}

By 1896, Saks and Co. had stores in Norfolk and Richmond, Virginia; New York City; and Indianapolis, in addition to Washington, D.C., where, Saks called itself "Washington's Wonderful Store".{{cite news |title=Ad for Saks & Company |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/57757965/saks-6-stores-1897/ |work=Washington Times |date=March 28, 1897 |page=6}}

File:Saks and Co., Washington D.C. 1920 01.jpg, NW corner of 7th St. and Pennsylvania Av., Washington, D.C. (1920)]]

Saks opened a very large store in 1902 in New York City's Herald Square on 34th Street and Broadway.{{cite web|url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/1523.pdf|title=Saks Fifth Avenue|date=1984-12-20|publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission|access-date=2019-12-06}}{{rp|2}} Andrew Saks ran the New York store as a family business with his brother Isadore, and his sons Horace and William.{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}} Andrew Saks died in 1912 and his son Horace took over the company's management.{{rp|2}}

In 1923, Saks & Co. merged with Gimbel Brothers, Inc., which was owned by a cousin of Horace Saks,{{cite book| title=Current Biography Yearbook| first1=Maxine| last1=Block| first2=Anna Herthe| last2=Rothe| first3=Marjorie Dent| last3=Candee| publisher=H. W. Wilson Co.| year=1951| page=173}} Bernard Gimbel, operating as a separate autonomous subsidiary. On September 15, 1924, Horace Saks and Bernard Gimbel opened in the Saks Fifth Avenue Building at 611 Fifth Avenue, with a full-block avenue frontage south of St. Patrick's Cathedral, facing what would become Rockefeller Center.{{cite news|date=September 15, 1924|title=Saks & Company Open New Store To Public To-day|page=16|work=New York Herald Tribune|url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/1113137105|url-access=subscription|access-date=February 19, 2021|id={{ProQuest|1113137105}}|via=ProQuest}} The architects were Starrett & van Vleck, who developed a design derived from classical architecture.{{rp|4–5}}

When Bernard's cousin, Adam Gimbel, became president of Saks Fifth Avenue in 1926 after Horace Saks's sudden death, the company expanded, opening seasonal resort branches in Palm Beach (1926), Atlantic City (1927), Lincoln Road in Miami Beach (1929), Southampton on Long Island (1931), Newport, Rhode Island (1935), Sun Valley, Idaho and Westbury, L.I. (1936), and Greenwich, Connecticut (1937).See citations at Timeline of Saks Fifth Avenue branches

In 1929, Saks opened its first full-line, year-round flagship store in Chicago, and only six years later moved to a larger location. By the end of the 1930s, Saks Fifth Avenue had a total of 10 stores – the 2 large urban flagships in New York and Chicago, and 8 resort stores.

During World War Two, Saks opened Navy and Army shops in New Haven, Connecticut and Princeton, New Jersey, and after the war turned the small branches into University Shops, catering to the Ivy League communities there. More University Shops would open, one near Harvard in Cambridge, Mass., another in Ann Arbor, Michigan (1960). Saks had already opened two urban flagship stores before the U.S. joined the war: its now-legendary store in Beverly Hills, and in Detroit (1940). After the war, three more downtown stores opened, albeit smaller in scale: Pittsburgh (1949), Philadelphia (1952) and San Francisco (1952) where Saks competed head-on with local luxury champion I. Magnin.{{cite news| url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Eileen-Denari-Ludwig-S-F-civic-leader-2547015.php| title=Eileen Denari Ludwig -- S.F. civic leader| last=Zinko| first=Carolyne| date=December 4, 2003| newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle| access-date=July 31, 2016}}

During the 1950s, the shift from downtown shopping to suburban shopping malls gained momentum. Saks Fifth Avenue's first anchor department store in a mall in 1954, at Sunrise Center, now The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale. A few of the new suburban stores were freestanding in suburbs that had a significant downtown shopping district, such as in White Plains, New York (1954) and both Garden City, Long Island and Surfside, near Miami in 1962. A few were in malls built in downtowns, such as New Orleans, Boston, and Minneapolis. But most new Saks stores, dozens, opened in malls over the decades through the 1990s.

More expansion followed through in the 1990s particularly into Texas, Florida and California. Plans to open in Mexico City were also scrapped following the Mexican peso crisis in 1995. the store was set to open at the Molière222 mall in Polanco, El Palacio de Hierro then took over the site where they still operate.{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=W. W. D. |date=1995-10-23 |title=SAKS CONFIRMS MEXICO CITY PLANS ERASED |url=https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1150683/ |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=WWD |language=en-US}} California-based I. Magnin closed in 1995, allowing Saks to acquire some of their locations and open in San Diego's Fashion Valley and expand in Carmel. As in the 1950s, the company opened a wave of smaller "Main Street" stores in suburbs with downtown shopping, such as Pasadena, Santa Barbara, and San Diego's La Jolla in California, and in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Charleston, South Carolina. In Texas, Saks acquired 3 Texas locations where Marshall Fields was exiting. In 1997 Saks moved its main Houston store from the Saks Pavilion to The Galleria and added a new location at Town & Country. In the Dallas Galleria, Saks moved within the mall to a larger location. In addition to the former Field's locations, Saks Austin opened in 1997 and Fort Worth in 2000.{{cite news |title=Saks Appeal (box "Saks in Texas") |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-saks-in-texas/134359929/ |access-date=October 30, 2023 |publisher=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |date=September 15, 1999}}

In Florida in the 1990s, 7 Saks Fifth Avenue stores opened, for a total of 11 stores by the end of the decade, adding Palm Beach Gardens,{{cite news |last1=Giovis |first1=Jaclyn |title=Saks Quits Galleria |url=https://newspapers.com/article/south-florida-sun-sentinel-saks-quits-ga/134429482/ |access-date=1 November 2023 |work=South Florida Sun Sentinel |date=13 May 2008 |pages=41}} Naples,{{cite news |last1=Bartley |first1=Jaynie |title=THIRTY AND THRIVING Naples' go-to shopping center celebrates 30 years, with new legacy retailers and renovated storefronts. |url=https://www.gulfshorelife.com/2022/09/01/thirty-and-thriving/ |access-date=October 23, 2023 |publisher=Gulfshore Life |date=September 1, 2022}} Fort Myers,{{cite news |last1=Mitchell |first1=Annie |title=Store adapts to need |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-press-store-adapts-to-need/134426299/ |via = Newspapers.com | access-date=1 November 2023 |work=News-Press (Fort Myers, Florida) |date=7 November 1996 |page=10}} Orlando,{{cite news |title=Rivals say Saks will be good for business |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-orlando-sentinel-rivals-say-saks-wil/134427225/ |access-date=1 November 2023 |work=The Orlando Sentinel |date=18 November 1996 |pages=6}} Sarasota,{{cite news |last1=Albright |first1=Mark |title=Saks opening in Sarasota |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1996/11/15/saks-opening-in-sarasota/ |access-date=October 31, 2023 |publisher=Tampa Bay Times |date=November 15, 1996}} Tampa{{cite news |last1=Albright |first1=Mark |title=Saks will dress up upscale in bay area |url=https://newspapers.com/article/tampa-bay-times/134428342/ |access-date=1 November 2023 |work=Tampa Bay Times |date=11 November 1998 |pages=45}} and doubled the size of its Boca Raton store.{{cite news |last1=Moin |first1=David |title=Saks Doubles Space at New Boca Raton Locatiin |url=https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1087718/ |access-date=8 November 2023 |work=WWD |date=19 October 1999}}

Also in 1990, the company launched "Saks Off 5th", an outlet store offshoot of the main brand, with 107 stores worldwide by 2016.{{cite news |url=https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/hudsons-bay-company-off-price-retail-gilt-saks-off-fifth |title=With Gilt, Hudson's Bay Company Bets Big on Off-Price |last=Sherman |first=Lauren |date=September 19, 2016 |newspaper=The Business of Fashion |access-date=February 19, 2017 |language=en-GB}}

In 1998, Proffitt's, Inc. the parent company of Proffitt's and other department stores, acquired Saks Holdings Inc. Upon completing the acquisition, Proffitt's, Inc. changed its name to Saks, Inc.{{cite news |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB899673148295733500|title=Proffitt's to Acquire Saks Holdings In $2.14 Billion Stock Transaction |last1=Berner |first1=Robert |first2=Yumiko |last2=Ono |date=July 6, 1998 |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |access-date=2019-10-24 |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660}}{{cite web |url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/saks-inc-history/ |title=History of Saks Inc. |website=Funding Universe |access-date=2019-10-24}}

In 2004, Saks was enjoying an annual sales growth rate of 7.7% on a same-store basis, but was underperforming Neiman Marcus (+17%) and Nordstrom (+10%). In Southern California, analysts said that Saks was "struggling to maintain its cachet" against the two competitors and Bloomingdales. On October 1, Saks announced the closing of 8 underperforming, mostly smaller Saks stores: Pasadena, Palos Verdes, Mission Viejo, La Jolla and Carmel in California, Garden City NY, Hilton Head SC, and Downtown Minneapolis.{{cite news |last1=Earnest |first1=Leslie |title=Saks to Shutter 11 Stores, Including 5 in California |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-oct-02-fi-saks2-story.html |access-date=October 30, 2023 |publisher=Los Angeles Times |date=October 2, 2004}}{{cite news |title=Saks to close stores in S.C., other states |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-state-saks-to-close-stores-in-sc/134355551/ |access-date=October 30, 2023 |publisher=The State |date=October 2, 2004 |location=Columbia, S.C. |page=69}}

In August 2007, the United States Postal Service began an experimental program selling the plus ZIP code extension to businesses. The first company to do so was Saks Fifth Avenue, which received the ZIP code of 10022-7463 ("SHOE", on a U.S. touch-tone keypad) for the eighth-floor shoe department in its flagship Fifth Avenue store.{{cite news| title=Saks department gets own ZIP code: 10022-SHOE| url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2007-05-24-saks-zip-code_N.htm| date=May 24, 2007| work=USA Today| agency=Associated Press| access-date=May 21, 2014}}

During the 2007–2009 recession, Saks had to cut prices and profit margins, thus according to Reuters "training shoppers to expect discounts. It took three years before it could start selling at closer to full price".{{cite news |url=http://www.ocregister.com/articles/saks-270968-store-affluent.html |title=Saks to soon close O.C. department store |last=Nguyen |first=Hang |date=October 13, 2010 |newspaper=The Orange County Register |language=en-US |access-date=July 31, 2016}}{{cite news| last=Moore| first=Paula| title=Saks Fifth Avenue's Denver store to close| url=http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2011/01/05/saks.html?page=all| access-date=May 21, 2014|newspaper=Denver Business Journal| date=January 5, 2011}}{{cite news| last=Gough| first=Paul J.| title=Saks Fifth Avenue Downtown to close March 17| url=http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2012/01/19/saks-fifth-avenue-to-close-march-17.html| access-date=May 21, 2014| work=Pittsburgh Business Times| date=January 19, 2012}}{{cite news| url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2012/09/13/saks-to-close-after-the-holidays/| title=Saks to close after the holidays| last=Shropshire| first=Corilyn| date=September 13, 2012| newspaper=Chicago Tribune| access-date=July 31, 2016}}{{cite news| url=http://www.retailfacilitybusiness.com/the-latest-news/629-saks-fifth-avenue-to-close-store-in-dallas-retailer-news.html| title=Saks Fifth Avenue To Close Store in Dallas| work=Retail Facility Business| date=February 4, 2013| access-date=May 21, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029225202/http://www.retailfacilitybusiness.com/the-latest-news/629-saks-fifth-avenue-to-close-store-in-dallas-retailer-news.html| archive-date=October 29, 2013}}

As of 2013, the New York flagship store, whose real estate value was estimated between $800 million and over $1 billion at the time, generated around 20% of Saks' annual sales at $620 million, with other stores being less profitable according to analysts.{{cite news| url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hudsonsbay-saks-idUSBRE96S0DV20130729|title=Hudson's Bay CEO bets big on department stores with Saks buy| last1=Wahba| first1=Phil| date=July 29, 2013| last2=Ho| first2=Solarina| newspaper=Reuters| access-date=July 31, 2016}}{{cite news| url=http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20130729/REAL_ESTATE/130729876/saks-flagship-adds-1b-punch-to-purchase| title=Saks' flagship adds $1B punch to purchase| first=Adrianne| last=Pasquarelli| newspaper=Crain's New York Business| date=July 29, 2013| access-date=2019-12-20}}

On July 29, 2013, Canada-based Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), the oldest commercial corporation in North America and owner of the competing chain Lord & Taylor, announced it would acquire Saks Fifth Avenue's parent company for US$2.9 billion.{{cite news| title=Hudson's Bay rolls the dice on Saks| url=https://www.thestar.com/business/2013/07/29/hudsons_bay_to_buy_saks_for_29_billion.html| last=Lewis| first=Michael| newspaper=Toronto Star| access-date=May 21, 2014| date=July 29, 2013}}

In 2015 Saks began a $250 million, three-year restoration of its Fifth Avenue flagship store.{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/business/saks-is-shaking-off-retail-gloom-with-a-fifth-avenue-face-lift.html| title=Saks Is Shaking Off Retail Gloom With a Fifth Avenue Face-Lift| first=Hiroko| last=Tabuchi| author-link=Hiroko Tabuchi| date=November 14, 2015| newspaper=The New York Times| access-date=January 31, 2018}} In October 2015, Saks announced a new location in Greenwich, Connecticut.{{cite press release| url=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20151008005752/en/Saks-Avenue-Signs-Lease-Location-Greenwich-Connecticut| title=Saks Fifth Avenue Signs Lease for a Location in Greenwich, Connecticut| publisher=Hudson's Bay Company| date=October 18, 2015| access-date=2019-12-20| via=Business Wire}}{{cite news| url=http://www.greenwichtime.com/business/article/Saks-signs-lease-for-third-Greenwich-property-6551701.php,| title=Saks signs lease for third Greenwich property| newspaper=Greenwich Time| first=Kaitlyn| last=Krasselt| date=October 5, 2015| access-date=2019-12-20}} In autumn 2015, Saks announced it would replace its existing store at the Houston Galleria with a new store.{{cite press release| title=Saks Fifth Avenue To Relocate Its Flagship Store At The Houston Galleria| url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/saks-fifth-avenue-to-relocate-its-flagship-store-at-the-houston-galleria-222511171.html| publisher=Simon Property Group| via=PR Newswire| access-date=2019-12-20}}{{cite journal| title=Saks acts as cornerstone of Houston Galleria's $250M transformation| journal=Luxury Daily| date=February 26, 2015| url = http://www.luxurydaily.com/saks-acts-as-cornerstone-of-houston-gallerias-250m-transformation/| access-date=2019-12-20}}{{cite web| url = https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/saks-fifth-avenue-brookfield-place| title = Lauren Sherman, "Inside the Reinvention of Saks Fifth Avenue", BoF, September 6, 2016}}{{cite web| url = https://chainstoreage.com/store-spaces/saks-fifth-avenue-reportedly-to-exit-manhattan-center| title = Marianne Wilson, "Saks Fifth Avenue to exit Brookfield Center", Chain Store Age, 12/17/2018}}

On January 15, 2021, Saks Fifth Avenue unveiled a {{convert|54000|sqft|sqm|adj=on}} space on the fifth floor of its New York flagship, branded Barneys at Saks. The collaboration is aimed at continuing Barneys New York tradition of unearthing and promoting emerging designers.{{cite web | url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/designers/a35218605/barney-at-saks-launch/ | title=Saks Fifth Avenue Breathes New Life into Barneys New York | date=January 15, 2021 }} On January 25, Saks launched the first standalone Barneys at Saks store in a {{convert|14000|sqft|sqm|adj=on}} location in Greenwich, Connecticut. This marked the first time Saks had offered men's clothing and furnishings in that market.{{cite web | url=https://www.retailtouchpoints.com/features/news-briefs/barneys-is-back-via-saks-fifth-avenue-in-new-york-and-connecticut | title=Barneys is Back, via Saks Fifth Avenue, in New York and Connecticut | date=January 20, 2021 }} In March, HBC and growth capital investor, Insight Partners, established Saks Fifth Avenue's ecommerce business as a stand-alone entity, known as "Saks". Insight Partners made a $500 million minority equity investment in Saks. The retailer's 39-store fleet operates separately as an entity referred to as "SFA," which remains wholly owned by HBC. At the time of the separation, HBC named Marc Metrick, CEO of Saks, the ecommerce business. Metrick was previously president of Saks Fifth Avenue since 2015.{{cite news |last1=Moin |first1=David |title=After a Run of Quarterly Gains, Saks Tempers Its 2023 Outlook |url=https://wwd.com/business-news/retail/saks-com-ceo-marc-metrick-reports-on-fourth-quarter-and-2023-outlook-1235542672/ |publisher=WWD |date=23 February 2023}}

In April, Saks announced that it would close all 27 of its fur salons, among which New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Beverly Hills, by the end of January 2022. The company also said that by January 2023, it would stop sales of products made from fur of wild animals or from animals raised for their fur.Palash Ghosh, "[https://www.forbes.com/sites/palashghosh/2021/04/07/saks-fifth-avenue-to-stop-selling-fur-products-by-2023/?sh=71ca3a8e3d98 Saks Fifth Avenue To Stop Selling Fur Products By 2023]," Forbes.com, 7 April 2021. In August, the company announced a collaboration with WeWork to convert some Saks spaces to co-working locations.{{Cite web |last=Modi |first=Priyanka |date=2021-08-10 |title=WeWork Taking Over Some Saks Fifth Avenue Spaces |url=https://therealdeal.com/2021/08/10/wework-taking-space-in-some-saks-stores/ |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=The Real Deal New York |language=en-US}} In June 2022, Saks announced that it would convert the original 1938 store building in Beverly Hills, 9600 Wilshire, into offices and apartments. Saks Beverly Hills continues to operate from the former I. Magnin and Barneys buildings, which had previously been incorporated into the store complex.{{Cite web|last=Vincent|first=Roger|title=Beverly Hills' historic Saks Fifth Avenue complex set for development into offices and apartments|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-06-23/beverly-hills-historic-saks-fifth-avenue-development-coming-with-offices-apartments|date=23 June 2022|website=Los Angeles Times}}

In July 2024 Saks announced that it planned to acquire rival retailer Neiman Marcus in a reported $2.65 billion merger.{{Cite web |last=Valinsky |first=Nathaniel Meyersohn, Jordan |date=2024-07-05 |title=Saks Fifth Avenue is buying Neiman Marcus with Amazon’s help {{!}} CNN Business |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/05/business/saks-fifth-avenue-neiman-marcus-amazon/index.html |access-date=2024-07-05 |website=CNN |language=en}} The acquisition was finalised in December 2024 and Saks Fifth Avenue became part of the new holding company Saks Global.{{Cite web |date=2024-12-24 |title=Saks Finalises Acquisition of Neiman Marcus Group |url=https://www.businessoffashion.com/news/retail/saks-finalises-acquisition-of-neiman-marcus-group/ |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=The Business of Fashion |language=en}}

Canada expansion plans were drafted with the acquisition by HBC in 2013, calling for up to seven Saks stores across the country, of which three eventually opened. In February 2016, it opened a {{convert|150000|sqft|m2|abbr=on|adj=on}} Saks Fifth Avenue in downtown Toronto, in a section carved out of the building housing the flagship of its namesake department store, Hudson's Bay Company, connected by sky bridge to the largest downtown mall, Eaton Centre.{{cite web| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/saks-braces-for-battle-in-canadas-crowded-luxury-fashion-market/article28761659/| title=Saks braces for battle in Canada's crowded luxury fashion market| first=Marina| last=Strauss| date=May 16, 2018| access-date=2019-12-20| newspaper=The Globe and Mail| location=Toronto}} A second Greater Toronto location opened at Sherway Gardens shortly thereafter.{{cite news| title=Tycoon shows his real estate savvy with sale of Hudson's Bay store| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/hbc-to-sell-flagship-toronto-store-in-650-million-deal/article16516753/| last=Strauss| first=Marina| work=The Globe and Mail| date=January 27, 2014| access-date=May 27, 2014}} And in February 2018, its third Canadian store opened in Calgary at Chinook Centre.{{cite news| url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/fashion-and-beauty/fashion/saks-lands-in-calgary-on-feb-22/article37991412/| title=Saks Fifth Avenue set to land in Calgary this month| last=Strauss| first=Marina| date=May 11, 2018| newspaper=The Globe and Mail}}

On March 14, 2025, shortly after the bankruptcy and collapse of Hudson's Bay, it was announced that Hudson's Bay would be liquidating and shuttering 2 of the 3 Saks Fifth Avenue locations in canada and all 13 Saks Off 5th locations in Canada. Liquidation sales are set to begin as soon as the following week, with locations to be permanently shuttered by June 2025.{{Cite web|url= https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250314532147/en/Hudsons-Bay-to-Undergo-Full-Liquidation-Unless-an-Alternative-Solution-Emerges|title= Hudson’s Bay to Undergo Full Liquidation Unless an Alternative Solution Emerges|date=14 March 2025|access-date=17 March 2025|website=Business Wire|language=en}}

A franchise agreement was signed with Reliance Industries in early 2025 to open Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks Off 5th stores in India.{{Cite web |last=Moin |first=David |date=2025-02-18 |title=Neiman Marcus Closing in Downtown Dallas, Saks Seen Closing in Toronto |url=https://wwd.com/business-news/retail/saks-global-closings-seen-in-toronto-dallas-as-company-consolidates-1236948808/ |access-date=2025-02-20 |website=WWD |language=en-US}}

File:Centro comercial sante fe.jpg]]

In November 2007, Grupo Sanborns, part of billionaire Carlos Slim's corporate empire, secured a franchise and opened the first Saks store in Mexico, on the affluent far west side of Mexico City at Centro Santa Fe, that country's largest mall. The store closed in 2022.{{cite news |title=Saks Fifth Avenue Says Goodbye to Mexico |url=https://www.vallartadaily.com/saks-fifth-avenue-says-goodbye-to-mexico/ |publisher=Vallarta Daily |date=16 August 2022}} Another store opened in the affluent urban neighborhood of Polanco at Plaza Carso in 2010, but it closed in October 2020.{{cite web |title=Formatos de Negocios ("Business Formats") |url=http://www.gsanborns.com.mx/saks.html |website=Grupo Sanborns |access-date=October 29, 2023 |language=es}}{{Cite web |title=Saks Fifth Avenue debuts in Mexico |url=https://chainstoreage.com/news/saks-fifth-avenue-debuts-mexico |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=Chain Store Age |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Saks Fifth Avenue Mobile |url=https://www.saksfifthavenue.com/locations/s/santafe?exclude=7449&latitude=19.3612873&longitude=-99.2754917&page=1&storesPerPage=3 |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=www.saksfifthavenue.com}}{{Cite web |date=2010-10-21 |title=Saks Expands Presence in Mexico City |url=https://vmsd.com/saks-expands-presence-mexico-city/ |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=Visual Merchandising and Store Design |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=MX |first=FashionNetwork com |title=Saks Fifth Avenue cerrará sus puertas en México el próximo octubre |url=https://mx.fashionnetwork.com/news/Saks-fifth-avenue-cerrara-sus-puertas-en-mexico-el-proximo-octubre,1431216.html |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=FashionNetwork.com |language=es-MX}}

In August 2023, Grupo Sanborns announced that in 2023, it would close its Saks franchise store at Centro Santa Fe in Mexico City, the only store still operating in Mexico after the closure of the Polanco store two years earlier.[https://www.milenio.com/negocios/slim-cierra-puertas-saks-fifth-avenue-polanco-e-commerce "Slim cierra puertas de Saks Fifth Avenue en Polanco" (Slim closes the doors of Saks Fifth Avenue in Polanco)], Milenio. A branch of Sears Mexico, also part of Grupo Sanborns, was to replace it, and staff were to be retained.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2022-08-16 |title=Saks Fifth Avenue says goodbye to Mexico |url=https://www.vallartadaily.com/saks-fifth-avenue-says-goodbye-to-mexico/ |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=Puerto Vallarta News |language=en-US}}

In November 2001 the first Middle East Saks opened at Kingdom Centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=W. W. D. |date=2003-09-12 |title=It’s a Small World: Saks Fifth Avenue Plans International Push |url=https://wwd.com/feature/it-8217-s-a-small-world-saks-fifth-avenue-plans-international-push-719558-1914054/ |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=WWD |language=en-US}} The store closed in 2012.{{Cite web |date=2012-10-24 |title=Saks Fifth Avenue to Exit Saudi Arabia |url=https://vmsd.com/saks-fifth-avenue-exit-saudi-arabia/ |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=Visual Merchandising and Store Design |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Saks Fifth Avenue to Leave Riyadh |url=https://en.vogue.me/archive/legacy/saks-fifth-avenue-to-leave-riyadh/ |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=Vogue Arabia |language=en-GB}} In 2003 plans for stores in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates were announced following the signing of licensing agreements, along with plans for 5 to 10 stores across Japan. Saks was also looking at sites in Bahrain and Beirut for new stores. In 2012, the Riyadh franchise store, owned by Prince Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud, closed after the licensing agreement expired.

In 2005, Saks opened a 80,000 square foot store at the BurJuman Centre in Dubai which closed in 2016; the store was Saks last store in the UAE after failed attempts at expansion.{{Cite web |last=Anand |first=Shitika |date=April 11, 2016 |title=Saks Fifth Avenue in Dubai to close |url=https://www.timeoutdubai.com/shopping/shopping-news/70553-saks-fifth-avenue-in-dubai-to-close |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221030082142/https://www.timeoutdubai.com/shopping/shopping-news/70553-saks-fifth-avenue-in-dubai-to-close |archive-date=October 30, 2022 |access-date=October 30, 2022 |website=Time Out}} The store was originally scheduled to open in early 2004. A Doha store was scheduled to open in 2005 at Landmark Mall however plans never came to fruition.{{Cite web |date=2004-02-09 |title=Saks Fifth Avenue hatches regional plans - ITP.net |url=https://www.itp.net/news/478618-saks-fifth-avenue-hatches-regional-plans |access-date=2025-02-22 |language=en-US}} A Tokyo store was also planned to open in 2005.

In 2008, Saks opened its third Middle East store at City Centre Bahrain in Manama, Bahrain. The store has two floors and is {{Convert|57000|sqft|sqm}} in size. After closing Riyadh and its 2 Dubai stores, it remains Saks' sole store in the Middle East.{{Cite news | date=November 9, 2008 |title=Saks opens store in Bahrain |url=https://chainstoreage.com/news/saks-opens-store-bahrain |access-date=2022-10-30 |publisher = Chain Store Age |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Saks Fifth Avenue Mobile |url=https://www.saksfifthavenue.com/locations/s/bahrain?exclude=7447&latitude=26.2347502&longitude=50.5523452&page=1&storesPerPage=3 |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=www.saksfifthavenue.com}}

In 2012, Saks licensed its first store in Central Asia, in Almaty, Kazakhstan, at the then-new Esentai Mall, together with boutiques of international luxury brands. Saks Almaty is 3 floors tall and {{convert|91000|sqft|sqm}} in size.{{Cite web |title=Saks Fifth Avenue Has Opened Its First Store In Kazakhstan |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/saks-fifth-avenue-opens-in-kazakhstan-2012-10 |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=Business Insider |language=}}{{Cite web |last=US |first=FashionNetwork com |title=Saks Fifth Avenue arrives in Kazakhstan |url=https://us.fashionnetwork.com/news/saks-fifth-avenue-arrives-in-kazakhstan,513077.html |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=FashionNetwork.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Saks Fifth Avenue Mobile |url=https://www.saksfifthavenue.com/locations/s/almaty?exclude=7446&latitude=43.310761&longitude=76.94233&page=1&storesPerPage=3 |access-date=2022-10-30 |website=www.saksfifthavenue.com}}

In 2005, vendors filed against Saks alleging unlawful chargebacks. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigated the complaint for years and, according to the New York Times, "exposed a tangle of illicit tactics that let Saks... keep money it owed to clothing makers", inflating Saks' yearly earnings up to 43% and abusively collecting around $30 million from suppliers over seven years.{{cite news| title=Saks Settles With S.E.C. on Overpayments| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/business/06saks.html| newspaper=The New York Times| date=September 6, 2007| access-date=September 21, 2015| issn=0362-4331| first=Michael| last=Barbaro}} Saks settled with the SEC in 2007, after firing three or more executives involved in the fraudulent activities.{{cite press release| url=https://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2007/lr20266.htm| title=Saks Inc. Settles Financial Reporting and Related Charges by SEC| date=September 5, 2007| publisher=Securities and Exchange Commission| access-date=May 21, 2014}}

In 2014, Saks fired transgender employee Leyth Jamal after she was allegedly "belittled by coworkers, forced to use the men's room and repeatedly referred to by male pronouns (he and him)".{{cite magazine |title=How the Lawsuit Between Saks and a Transgender Employee Might Shake Out |first=Katy |last=Steinmetz |magazine=Time |date=January 12, 2015 |access-date=January 13, 2015 |url=https://time.com/3664705/saks-transgender-lawsuit/ }}{{cite web |title=Saks Is Fighting to Discriminate Against a Transgender Ex-Employee |first=Meredith |last=Hoffman |work=Vice News |date=January 13, 2015 |access-date=January 13, 2015 |url=https://news.vice.com/article/saks-is-fighting-to-discriminate-against-a-transgender-ex-employee }} After Jamal submitted a lawsuit for unfair dismissal, the company stated in a motion to dismiss that "it is well settled that transsexuals are not protected by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964."{{cite web |title=New York department store Saks 'defends discrimination against transgender staff' |first=Nicholas |last=Reilly |work=Metro |date=January 9, 2015 |access-date=January 13, 2015 |url=http://metro.co.uk/2015/01/09/new-york-department-store-saks-defends-discrimination-against-transgender-staff-5016632/ }} In a court filing, the United States Department of Justice rebuked Saks' argument, stating that "discrimination against an individual based on gender identity is discrimination because of sex."{{cite magazine| title=Saks settles discrimination suit with transgender employee, after sparking outrage| url=http://fortune.com/2015/03/05/saks-transgender-discrimination-suit/| magazine=Fortune| access-date=October 8, 2015| date=March 5, 2015| last=Zillman| first=Claire}} The Human Rights Campaign removed the company from its list of "allies" during the controversy. The lawsuit was settled out of court with undisclosed terms.

In 2017, following the events of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, Saks's San Juan store in Mall of San Juan suffered major damages along with its neighboring anchor store Nordstrom. Taubman Centers, the company which owns the mall, filed a lawsuit against Saks for failing to provide an estimated reopening date and failing to restore damages after the hurricane due to a binding contract.{{cite news| title=Mall Landlord Taubman Sues Saks Fifth Avenue Over Puerto Rico Store| url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/mall-landlord-taubman-sues-saks-fifth-avenue-over-puerto-rico-store-1509741207| newspaper=The Wall Street Journal| access-date=December 8, 2017| date=November 3, 2017| last=Fung| first=Esther| url-access=subscription}}{{cite news| title=Propietarios de The Mall of San Juan demandan a Saks Fifth Avenue| trans-title=Owners of Mall of San Juan sue Saks Fifth Avenue| url=https://www.elnuevodia.com/negocios/empresas/nota/propietariosdethemallofsanjuandemandanasaksfifthavenue-2371216/| newspaper=El Nuevo Día| access-date=2019-12-20| date=November 2, 2017| last=Diaz| first=Marian| language=es}} Although Nordstrom reopened on November 9, 2018,[https://press.nordstrom.com/news-releases/news-release-details/nordstrom-reopen-doors-mall-san-juan/ Nordstrom Website] Saks Fifth Avenue vacated The Mall of San Juan after two years of litigation.[https://newsismybusiness.com/saks-fifth-avenue-officially-pulls-out-of-the-mall-of-san-juan-after-2-year-litigation/ New Is My Business]

File:33rd Street Bridge.jpg to Saks 34th St.]]

Saks-34th Street was a fashion-focused middle market department store at 1293-1311 Broadway on Herald Square. The building, built in 1902, had seven stories and was designed by Buchman & Fox.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/16/realestate/streetscapes-saks-the-giant-leap-from-sixth-avenue-to-fifth-avenue.html|title=Streetscapes/Saks; the Giant Leap from Sixth Avenue to Fifth Avenue|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 16, 1995|last1=Gray|first1=Christopher}} The store was spun off from Saks & Company when that upscale retailer moved to Fifth Avenue, a location that Saks Fifth Avenue maintains to this day.[https://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/16/realestate/streetscapes-saks-the-giant-leap-from-sixth-avenue-to-fifth-avenue.html "Streetscapes: Saks - the giant leap from Sixth Avenue"]. The New York Times. April 16, 1995. The newly renamed Saks-34th Street was sold to Bernard F. Gimbel, and became a part of the New York division of Gimbels (later Manhattan Mall), and a sky bridge across 33rd Street connected the second floors of both flagship buildings.[http://wikimapia.org/6265952/Herald-Center-former-Saks-34th-Street "Herald Center, former Saks 34th Street"]. Wikimapia.org. In the 1947 movie Miracle on 34th Street the facade of Saks-34th Street is shown in a scene that focuses on the Gimbel's flagship store. Branch locations were opened around the greater New York area. The store closed in 1965, citing poor layouts, no escalators, a confused identity, and outdated facade. After Gimbels decided to close the division, the first floor of the building was used as a Christmas season annex for Gimbel's before being sold to the E. J. Korvettes chain.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080127042628/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,837555,00.html "Retailing: Discounter on 34th Street"]. Time magazine. November 10, 1967.[http://therealdeal.com/issues_articles/this-month-in-real-estate-history-49/ "This month in real estate history - 1965: Department Store Says Farewell to Herald Square"]. TheRealDeal.com. December 14, 2010. After the demise of the Korvette's chain the building was remodeled into the Herald Center, in 1985. {{As of|2016}} the primary tenant is H&M, following another remodel.{{Cite web|last=Hofmann|first=Tess|date=2015-02-11|title=H&M Flagship Store {{!}} 2 Herald Square {{!}} H&M Herald Center|url=https://therealdeal.com/2015/02/11/hms-flagship-herald-square-store-hits-the-market/|access-date=2020-10-11|website=The Real Deal New York|language=en-US}}

File:Saks Fifth Avenue store building (Beverly Hills) 2023 July 02.jpg

The original Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hills, California, at 9600 Wilshire Boulevard, was designed by the architectural firm Parkinson and Parkinson, with interiors by Paul R. Williams.{{cite web|title=Saks Fifth Avenue|url=https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/saks-fifth-avenue|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200330120553/https://www.laconservancy.org/locations/saks-fifth-avenue|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 March 2020|publisher=Los Angeles Conservancy|access-date=27 March 2020}}{{cite web|title=Saks Fifth Avenue, Los Angeles, CA|url=http://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/6840|work=Pacific Coast Architecture Database|access-date=28 March 2020}} The store opened in 1938.{{cite web|title=Saks Fifth Avenue|url=https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/shopping/saks-fifth-avenue|publisher=Time Out|access-date=27 March 2020}} The store was immediately successful upon opening and it would subsequently expand to almost {{convert|74,000|sqft|m2}} and employ 500 people.{{cite web|title=Saks Fifth Avenue|url=https://www.paulrwilliamsproject.org/gallery/architectural-drawing-saks-fifth-avenue-store-los-angeles-ca/|publisher=Paul Williams Project|access-date=27 March 2020}} Williams created an interior reminiscent of his designs for luxurious private residences, with rooms lit by indirect lamps and footlights focused on the clothes. New departments for furs, corsets, gifts and debutante dresses were added in the 1940 expansion.

The store relocated to the adjacent 9570 Wilshire Boulevard in 2024, and the original location will be converted into a mixed-use development by Hudson's Bay Company.{{cite web|title=Saks Fifth Avenue|date=10 August 2016 |url=https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/shopping/saks-fifth-avenue|publisher=Time Out|accessdate=27 March 2020}}

File:Broadway and 33rd.jpg|The Herald Square Saks & Co. store in 1903, behind the 33rd Street station

File:Saks Fifth Avenue, Miami Beach, Florida. LOC gsc.5a04498.jpg|Saks Miami Beach on Lincoln Road (1940)

File:Saks Fifth Avenue Houston Sports Theme To Attract Customers Press Photo 1987.jpg|Sports-themed displays at Saks Houston (1987)

File:Saks Fifth Avenue Pavilion Houston Press Photo 1992.jpg|Former Saks Pavilion in Houston (1992)

File:Big cowboy boots at the North Star Mall (San Antonio, Texas) 004 crop.jpg|Saks at the North Star Mall in San Antonio, Texas

File:Saks Atlanta.jpg|Saks Fifth Avenue at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia.

File:Saks Fifth Avenue Houston Bar.jpg|Bar in Saks Fifth Avenue Houston in the Galleria Mall Houston, Texas

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