It’s the end of an era for Saks Off Fifth.
The discount sister brand of Saks Fifth Avenue will shutter nine additional U.S. stores to concentrate on higher-performing locations, following the earlier announcement that its New York City store would also close.
Closures, which will begin in January, include Austin, Chicago, Washington DC, Philadelphia’s Franklin Mall (formerly Philadelphia Mills), Pittsburgh North (McKnight Road), Plymouth Meeting, East Hanover, Niagara Falls, and West Hartford.
Meanwhile, the flagship Saks Off 5th location on the Upper East Side in NYC, located at 125 E 57th Street, will permanently close on December 31.
The company told USA Today that the closures are part of an effort to “optimize" its store presence, “enabling us to place greater attention to our high-performing and high-potential store locations, and refinements across our store footprint.”
“We are confident this will better position the Saks Off 5th business for long-term success and look forward to continuing to deliver for our customers,” a company spokesperson said.
The Independent has contacted Saks Off 5th for further comment.
Despite rumors of bankruptcy, Saks Global is not filing for Chapter 11, a spokesperson confirmed to The US Sun in October.
“It is important to note that a restructuring is not being contemplated,” they said.
“Moreover, we are making strong progress to reduce outstanding payments, invest in our transformation and drive improved performance.”
Saks Off 5th has around 100 stores in the U.S. and Canada. It began as Saks Clearinghouse in Franklin Mills, Pennsylvania, and launched a website in 2013.
