1 week Ago By Abigailtmontanez
The holidays won’t be the same in the Big Apple this year. Saks Fifth Avenue has pulled the plug on its widely popular light show at its flagship location in Manhattan ahead of its centennial celebration, The New York Post reported . The department store, located right across from Rockefeller Plaza, allegedly called the high-tech spectacle off for the first time in two decades as part of cost-cutting efforts amid the current luxury downturn.
Rest assured, the spirit of Christmas isn’t totally lost. There will still be the usual festive window displays available for viewing later this month. “For many years, the holidays at Saks Fifth Avenue included a light show at our flagship store, and for some time, we have contemplated changing our approach,” a spokesperson for the company explained to The Post .
“In our 100th year, which also marks the anniversary of the flagship, we are celebrating the season by honoring the architectural significance of this iconic building, elegantly illuminating the facade and framing the holiday windows, as well as highlighting the fashion for which Saks Fifth Avenue is known.” Last year, Saks teamed up with Dior to host its light show spectacular at 611 Fifth Ave. Actress Jennifer Lawrence, a longtime ambassador for the LVMH -owned brand, even made a special appearance at the premiere to kick off the wintertime tradition, which has been held annually since 2004.
As of October, a press release from Saks mentioned there would be an “illuminated display on the facade” as part of its 2024 holiday campaign, so the decision to cancel the event seems to have been made fairly recently. Whether it was in response to a global slowdown in consumer spending, the rep for the store added that they’ve “acknowledged that it has been a challenging year for luxury, and, like others, we are carefully managing our business to ensure the company is best-positioned for the future.” Back in August, it was reported that Saks Fifth Ave’s parent company HBC, which also owns Bergdorf Goodman, had agreed to buy its competitor Neiman Marcus for $2.
65 billion. However, not much has been disclosed about the merger since, except that Saks was behind on vendor payments . Though, Marc Metrick, CEO of Saks Global, told WWD that the transaction is expected to close in January.
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