Saks Fifth Avenue's closing at the Plaza Frontenac.
Definitely a blow for the mall & region, though I've never shopped there. I didn't know before reading this that Nieman Marcus and Saks had the same owner, wonder if this is part of a national trend. https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/new ... close.html
Saks Fifth Avenue's closing at the Plaza Frontenac.
Definitely a blow for the mall & region, though I've never shopped there. I didn't know before reading this that Nieman Marcus and Saks had the same owner, wonder if this is part of a national trend. https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/new ... close.html
Hate to see the continued downfall of department stores
If I had to take a stab at what comes in, I’d guess Bloomingdale’s. Has StL ever had one? I think they are at least above treading water amongst department stores.
A second Von Maur or Dillards might be other possibilities.
Aritzia opening should help traffic at the mall
Likely though it sits vacant for a while
Of the malls, Frontenac is definitely the most tasteful in its presentation and architecture. Would make a perfect courtyard mall experiment with plaza frontenac style housing around it
PeterXCV wrote:Saks Fifth Avenue's closing at the Plaza Frontenac.
Definitely a blow for the mall & region, though I've never shopped there. I didn't know before reading this that Nieman Marcus and Saks had the same owner, wonder if this is part of a national trend. https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/new ... close.html
Not really a blow to the region. A store that few people stopped at a random suburban shopping mall is a nothing-burger.
But, is it a "blow" for the region? Sakes has been losing business nation-wide. They also will only have a handful (I think 13 stores) left in the country.
"With plans to close a total of 24 department stores by spring, that would leave the parent company with 13 Saks Fifth Avenue stores — including its flagship store on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue — as well as 32 Neiman Marcus locations and Bergdorf Goodman in New York City."
Saks is shuttering it's Michigan Avenue store in Chicago even.
We *still* are maintaining the Neiman Marcus in Frontenac. This closure is a national "closure", not STL specific. It also is *not* a reflection on the rest of the upscale shopping experience of the Plaza. Plaza Frontenac still has a lot of upscale stores and very few closed spaces. https://www.plazafrontenac.com/en/directory/
Not a blow to the region. Actually interesting opportunity to modernize that end of the mall. I think you have a few options to approach redevelopment:
A) swap for another department store like Bloomingdale’s. 1:1.
B) subdivide the space use it as an opportunity to attract net new businesses that don’t yet have a store here: Uniqlo, Zara, L.L. Bean would drive traffic. Higher end stores would be on brand with the other tenants: Arcteryx, Prada, Hermes, etc.
C) redevelop the whole thing to a high end food hall. I recently saw these on trips to Chicago near the magnificent mile and Tysons Corner, VA. The Chicago one highlighted local chefs and was all a similar asthetic. It was packed and I remember thinking it would do well at Frontenac. Think like an upscale foundry food hall.
D) bring back the small independent theater as part of the plan!
Luxury shopping like Saks is an amenity that helps retain and attract executives and the wealthy to our region so it is a big loss. I was walking through Saks last week and unfortunately could see the writing on the wall. Does anyone know when they first opened on Maryland Plaza?
southcitykid wrote:Luxury shopping like Saks is an amenity that helps retain and attract executives and the wealthy to our region so it is a big loss. I was walking through Saks last week and unfortunately could see the writing on the wall. Does anyone know when they first opened on Maryland Plaza?
It's not a big loss if it primarily affects the wealthy lmao. And execs of companies not located downtown already have significantly less influence on the state of the region and if they aren't located in at least Clayton, their influence is basically non-existent. No loss whatsoever.
If anything, the largest blow is the employees who are losing their job.
Post-Dispatch archives show Saks opened on Maryland Plaza approximately July of 1956. IIRC, the move to Plaza Frontenac was announced in 1972 prior to its actual move in 1974.
Saks announced the closure of their free standing City Line Avenue store in the Philly suburb of Bala Cynwyd several weeks ago. By all accounts, that store was a very viable, going concern which had resisted any and all efforts to get it to move to retail powerhouse King of Prussia Mall about 10 miles west . But at no time ever did the Philadelphia Inquirer or any subsequent letters to the editor suggest the closure was an economic blow to the Philly region. Only in St. Louis, a national department store chain having well publicized financial difficulties would a store closure be called an economic blow to the city and region.
Wow ok y'all, it just seemed like a blow because it was the only Saks store here. I wasn't aware of the national situation but I'm glad to read that you all don't think its a big deal, sincereley, I don't want it to be.
Luxury shopping like Saks is an amenity that helps retain and attract executives and the wealthy to our region so it is a big loss. I was walking through Saks last week and unfortunately could see the writing on the wall. Does anyone know when they first opened on Maryland Plaza?
I totally 100% disagree. Again, Saks has only a handful of stores left and by years end ... probably done. High end retailers are falling to the wayside... much less department stores. Chicago lost Saks too on Michigan Avenue.
Saks clientle were older money. They were 60 above.
It isn't a blow. With a handful of stores remaining... Saks will soon close all. Saks only had, usually, one store in top major cities. They weren't a mall "staple" department store. In fact, I bet less than 10 percent of the middle/young age shoppers have ever set a foot into a Saks store.
Today, younger wealthy shoppers are about boutique shops, name brand clothing anf accessories and not department stores. Much less overpriced big bix stores. They shop at Ikea and online primarily.
"Consulting and research firm McKinsey noted that fast fashion generates considerable amounts of waste, with the equivalent of three out of every five garments ending up in a landfill or incinerated. That conflicts with sustainability concerns among younger consumers, the firm said.
“The true costs of fast fashion are coming into focus, especially for millennials and Gen Zers,” McKinsey said. “Young people are becoming more mindful of sustainability with respect to how they consume. They’re also keenly aware that the fashion industry is a major contributor to global warming.”
One thing to consider is the fact that Saks bought out Neiman Marcus. They basically already have a presence at PF with the NM brand. Saks has so few stores now, this is not surprising considering they are in bankruptcy. I was surprised how few Sak's are left. I would expect that chain to be mostly online with a few flagships over the next few years.
What is a Bloomington's or Zara doing to stay afloat in these troubling times for retail? Would another high-end retailer expand in the mall when retail is fading? I know PF is a specialty mall, but it would seem like a risk to be expanding in the current retail climate. That being said, I do not shop at either store, so I wouldn't know how they are doing financially speaking. PF is going to really have to diversify, add some entertainment or additional unique dining. The Amazon effect has hit pretty much every retail market with the exception of discount & specialty. It is sad that Amazon killed retail over time, added tons of jobs to slightly offset that & is now killing those jobs with AI. Also,
Anyone know what this means for the OFF Sak's 5th Ave. stores? That place always seems to be packed.
IMO it still make sense for Zara to open a location in STL simply because they don't currently have a location here. Maybe it's just because my wife insists we stop by one whenever we go on vacation, but there is something there for sure.
West County or the Galleria would make more sense. I could see them being courted by Downtown Chesterfield.
IMO it still make sense for Zara to open a location in STL simply because they don't currently have a location here. Maybe it's just because my wife insists we stop by one whenever we go on vacation, but there is something there for sure.
West County or the Galleria would make more sense. I could see them being courted by Downtown Chesterfield.
Zara is in Charlotte, Columbus, Nashville, Austin, Cleveland, Buffalo, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, San Antonio (2), Orlando (2), Baltimore, Annapolis, Salt Lake, Portland, etc etc
I don’t like Zara, but more than Saks closing, it may be concerning national chains don’t see StL market as viable (and certainly not the inner urban core). In part, I love that chains have been mostly averse to StL in the last 60 years because it has allowed small business to survive and thrive in our neighborhoods comparatively to many metros, but I think downtown has particularly struggled because national chains refuse to come to our inner core. Other comparable downtowns are stronger in that
Maybe at a metro our size it’s just a trade off at this point, which I would choose what we have - local business strength in neighborhoods over corporate strength downtown
I would actually love a Von Mauer closer to the city. That's a really nice store, and the price points aren't terrible. Though... of course not likely for Frontenac ever.. I do hold out hope for a Primark somewhere!
1. Nordstrom relocates from West County Mall and opens one of their more higher end stores like their locations in Minneapolis, Chicago, Charlotte and Nashville. These locations carry higher brands and have leased concessions with brands such as Prada, Chanel, Celine and Saint Laurent. Plaza Frontenac was Nordstrom's original landing spot when looking to enter the STL market in the early 90s and Plaza Frontenac had plans to expand the mall considerably, build a new Saks Fifth Avenue at the center of the mall and then Nordstrom would build a store where Saks was, but due to local opposition of the plan, it never moved forward. If Nordstrom were to relocate from West County Mall, look for either Dillards or Von Maur to replace Nordstrom at West County Mall.
2. Restoration Hardware builds one of the large, multistory gallery stores with a rooftop restaurant like the one at Cherry Creek Mall in Denver. They have been scouting locations in STL to do this. Their current store at Plaza Frontenac is just temporary, as they wanted out of the Galleria ASAP and didn't want to wait to find the perfect location for one of their larger stores so they opened the temporary store at Frontenac.
3. The Saks space is converted into additional small shop space. Plaza Frontenac currently has a list of retailers that want to open stores there, but with the limited space are not able to do so.
I have also heard that Crate and Barrel might be looking to make a move from the Galleria area to the Frontenac. The property across the street from Frontenac including the Hilton Hotel andLe Chateau Village is in the initial phase of being redeveloped and they are looking to add addition high end retail to the development which could be a landing spot for a new Crate and Barrel.
As for Zara, look for it to open a store at West County Mall where Forever 21 used to be located... it's nearly 25,000 square feet of space which is what Zara needs for a new store.
I would actually love a Von Mauer closer to the city. That's a really nice store, and the price points aren't terrible. Though... of course not likely for Frontenac ever.. I do hold out hope for a Primark somewhere!
I thought the same thing. Von Maur would slot in perfectly there.
Plus they can't be happy with what that Lake St. Louis plaza has declined to.
Saks is a big space but a Zara in stl would be great. Bring in new shoppers to that location
Trading Saks for Zara? LOLLLLLLLLL
Come on, you know that Zara wouldn’t be the only thing coming in, that’s a misrepresentation of the post you responded to. If Zara comes in with a bunch of other stores like LLBean or Uniqlo, or if something bigger like Apple migrated to Frontenac, that’s an overall win.
I personally like Frontenac because it is quiet and there isn’t a ton of traffic there.
I heard that Crate & Barrel is looking to relocate from the Boulevard. They were interested in the new development on the site of the Frontenac Hilton but I wonder if they might consider using part of the Saks space instead.
