Neiman Marcus Downtown’s Future Is Finally Decided: Doors Set to Close Sept. 30
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The siren of opportunity north of Dallas’ downtown area is commanding business leaders’ attention. Given the choice between having a presence in the central business district or Uptown, Preston Hollow, or a northern suburb, they seem to prefer alternatives to the city center, and that’s made for a rough week for downtown boosters. And sandwiched between the two major gut punches dealt by the Stars and Mavericks was Neiman Marcus.
On Tuesday, the brand’s parent company, Saks Global, said the iconic Neiman Marcus Downtown location at 1618 Main St. will close its doors for good at the end of September. The announcement was no doubt a serious disappointment to many who thought there was a chance the store would remain open following months of uncertainty over its fate last year.
Saks Global acquired Neiman Marcus in late 2024, and just a few short months later, it said it was going to close the downtown storefront and focus on upgrading its location at NorthPark Center. Public intervention by city officials and downtown stakeholders seemed to get Neiman Marcus Downtown a reprieve through the 2025 holiday season, but any potential “reimagination of the location” now appears off the table.
“As we continue to take steps to secure a strong future for Neiman Marcus, our optimized store footprint is aimed at aligning our go-forward presence with customer demand and preferences,” a Saks Global spokesperson said in a statement. “After a thorough evaluation, we have made the difficult decision to close the Neiman Marcus Downtown Dallas store on September 30, 2026, and concentrate our resources where our customers prefer to shop.”
The retailer said that the Neiman Marcus at NorthPark Center does as much as 10 times more business than the downtown store, and Saks Global CEO Geoffrey van Raemdonck recently told The Dallas Morning News that the Main Street location was not profitable.
Saks Global said foot traffic at the downtown store has been slowing over time and that the “Downtown Dallas retail environment has been challenged.”
In a statement, City Manager Kimberly Tolbert said officials were disappointed with the news, noting the historic presence of the storefront. Neiman Marcus was founded in Dallas, with the first store opening downtown in 1907 at the corner of Elm and Murphy. A fire destroyed the property, but the 1618 Main St. location was subsequently built and opened in 1914.
“We want to acknowledge the open conversations we have had with the leadership of Saks Global over the past two years as they evaluated their options for the future of this iconic property,” Tolbert said. “Those discussions reflected our shared recognition of the store’s importance to Dallas. While this decision is not the outcome we worked toward, the City will continue to partner with Saks Global as they invest in the transformation of the NorthPark store.”
Saks Global plans on investing $100 million in the NorthPark Center location. Acknowledging the Dallas community’s loss in the shuttering of 1618 Main St., the company said “elements celebrating the downtown store’s rich history” will be introduced into the renovation. Additionally, the Zodiac Room will be relocated to NorthPark Center, replacing the existing Neiman Marcus Café. And the bridal salon — or rather, its services — may be moved there as well.
“Dallas remains an incredibly important market for the Neiman Marcus brand, and our customers in the city and across the suburbs consistently choose to shop at our NorthPark location,” the company said.
Saks Global has spent the past several months reshaping its retail footprint as it works to integrate the businesses brought together through its acquisition of Neiman Marcus. The luxury retailer has moved to streamline operations, evaluate store performance, and strengthen its presence in key markets while reducing redundancies across its portfolio, which includes Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and Saks OFF 5TH.
Neiman Marcus Downtown survived a couple of rounds of initial announced closures, but its luck ran out. It might not be the biggest blow to the downtown area this week considering two major sports franchises are making moves to varying degrees to relocate to the fringes of the city and beyond, but morale among downtown boosters looking to resurrect the CBD’s commercial bonafides must be low.
