Neiman Marcus Downtown Gets Stay of Execution Through Holiday Season
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After weeks of insisting Neiman Marcus’ downtown Dallas location would close on March 31, Saks Global now says the flagship store will be open through the 2025 holiday season. Fans of the Zodiac Room and bridal salon will be delighted to know that both will remain open during the store’s “exploratory period.”
Not only will the store remain open through the rest of the year, but apparently, there’s a reimagining in the works that includes a curated art exhibit, a fashion/event center, and a fashion design and manufacturing incubator, according to a Saks Global press release issued Friday.
“We deeply admire the city’s passion and unwavering dedication to Neiman Marcus’ storied legacy in Dallas,” Saks Global CEO Marc Metrick said in a statement. “The potential reimagination of this iconic shopping destination reinforces Saks Global’s commitment to redefining the luxury shopping experience.”
Here’s the press release in its entirety:
Saks Global and the City of Dallas to Explore Reimagination of the Neiman Marcus Downtown Dallas Building
The luxury retailer will keep Downtown store open through holiday season as it evaluates alternate plans for the historic location to serve as a modern fashion, art and entertainment destination
DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, Saks Global announced it will continue operations of the Neiman Marcus Downtown Dallas store through the 2025 Holiday season while it explores a reimagination of the location in collaboration with the City of Dallas. City officials met with Saks Global leadership to discuss the potential of a new, innovative format to serve its customers and the community while supporting the resurgence of Downtown Dallas.
Potential concepts for the reimagined space include a luxury retail experience, a curated art exhibition, and a fashion and event center. The proposals for the new space also include an incubator for fashion design and manufacturing in Downtown Dallas.
“We deeply admire the city’s passion and unwavering dedication to Neiman Marcus’ storied legacy in Dallas. The potential reimagination of this iconic shopping destination reinforces Saks Global’s commitment to redefining the luxury shopping experience,” said Marc Metrick, Chief Executive Officer of Saks Global. “As we explore opportunities for the Downtown store, along with the planned renovation at the NorthPark store, we will evaluate the opportunity to utilize both locations to serve different customer needs in the Dallas market.”
“We are excited that Saks Global has decided to keep Neiman Marcus open downtown, as we explore the opportunity to unlock the potential to transform downtown into an international beacon and economic engine for fashion – just as the Neiman Marcus founders intended when they opened the store more than 100 years ago,” said Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert. “We look forward to exploring what‘s on the horizon and are committed to continuing our conversations with the Saks Global team.”
The Zodiac Room and the Bridal Salon will remain open during the exploratory period.
The Neiman Marcus brand has been an integral part of Dallas for over a century, serving as a cornerstone of the community and a symbol of style and innovation. Since 1907, Neiman Marcus has shaped the city’s fashion landscape while fostering deep connections through charitable giving, cultural contributions, and civic engagement. Saks Global remains deeply committed to Dallas, honoring its rich history while continually looking ahead to a vibrant future.
About Saks Global
Saks Global is a combination of world-class luxury retailers, including Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks OFF 5TH, as well as a portfolio of prime U.S. real estate holdings and investments. Saks Global is deeply committed to helping luxury consumers discover the most sought-after established and emerging brands from around the world. Powered by data-driven technology and centered on the customer, Saks Global is on a mission to redefine the luxury shopping experience through highly personalized service, with greater opportunities for product discovery across all channels.
About Neiman Marcus
Neiman Marcus is a leading luxury retailer that provides a curated product assortment, unparalleled services, and exclusive activations for customers in Pursuit of the Extraordinary. It is known for creating the Neiman Marcus magic through exceptional customer experiences including the Neiman Marcus Awards, Fantasy Gifts, seasonal campaigns and retail-tainment initiatives. Neiman Marcus has a rich history as a brand builder, bringing together the world’s top luxury designers and customers to foster a dedicated following for generations. It serves customers across its 36 stores, digital channels and through remote selling. It is part of Saks Global’s portfolio of world-class luxury retailers and real estate assets. For more information on the latest news and events at Neiman Marcus, visit neimanmarcus.com or follow the brand on Instagram and YouTube.
As previously reported by CandysDirt.com, Saks Global has been critical of city leaders and downtown stakeholders for allegedly using the press — specifically, holding press conferences in front of the store — to try to compel the company to scrap its plans to shutter the store at the end of the month.
Saks Global initially claimed that the reason it decided to axe Neiman Marcus Downtown was a long-running dispute with a landlord who owned a parcel underneath the historic building. Members of a downtown consortium of business and city leaders sprung into action and announced earlier this month that they had secured the land in question, saying that the owner (Slaughter Partners LP) was willing to donate its parcel to the city in order to save the store.
Despite this development, Saks Global continued to stress that its plans were final and accused the consortium of “making inaccurate claims.”
Hudson’s Bay Company (the parent company of Saks Global) bought Neiman Marcus for $2.7 billion last December and has since been consolidating operations and eliminating redundancies, shedding Neiman Marcus personnel and relocating its corporate offices out of Dallas’s old CityPlace building to New York City.
However, the retailer may have a hurdle there because it received city incentives to keep its headquarters lease in the Dallas building on 75 at Lemmon Avenue.
The seemingly abrupt change in plans followed reports that Saks Global would meet with City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert this week to discuss a “financially beneficial” opportunity related to the downtown store’s future.
“We are excited that Saks Global has decided to keep Neiman Marcus open downtown, as we explore the opportunity to unlock the potential to transform downtown into an international beacon and economic engine for fashion — just as the Neiman Marcus founders intended when they opened the store more than 100 years ago,” Tolbert said in a statement. “We look forward to exploring what’s on the horizon and are committed to continuing our conversations with the Saks Global team.”
On Wednesday, Dallas City Council was set to accept the donated parcel of land from Slaughter Partners LP. However, Council Member Paul Ridley (District 14) motioned for the agenda item to be tabled for two weeks and brought back up on April 9.
“I want to take this opportunity to express my strong support for retaining the Neiman Marcus store in downtown as the jewel of our commercial retail development downtown,” Ridley said. “I think it is appropriate, given the pendency of negotiations at this time, that we defer this matter to allow those negotiations to play out.”
The motion passed after some reflection on the part of Council Member Carolyn King Arnold (District 4), who lightly criticized the energy city leaders were devoting to saving Neiman Marcus Downtown.
“Why are we not moving with the same intensity on some of the things that we really need, especially in the southern sector?” Arnold said.
