Saks Fifth Avenue will close its North Star Mall location and let go of dozens of employees in May, the company announced in a letter this week to the Texas Workforce Commission.
The department store closure is part of wider national closures after the company filed for bankruptcy in January. Saks Global also closed its Saks Off Fifth, an off-price location at The Rim, earlier this year.
Company leaders have closed or announced the closure of more than 80 Saks Fifth Avenue, Saks Off Fifth and Neiman Marcus stores since the beginning of the year.
In an email, Saks Global senior communications manager Maddie Hayman said the company decided which locations to close based on performance and customer preference. The company is focused on luxury customers and full-price selling, Hayman added, and maintains a presence in San Antonio.
“We look forward to continuing to serve customers in the community at our Neiman Marcus San Antonio location,” Hayman wrote.
Neiman Marcus is located in The Shops at La Cantera.
The layoffs at Saks Fifth Avenue will affect 71 employees, from sales associates to the assistant general manager.
GGP Retail, which owns North Star Mall and The Shops at La Cantera, did not respond to a phone call or email requesting comment.
Employers with 100 or more full-time employees are required to submit a notice to the state under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act of 1988. Those layoffs are listed online by the commission.
Saks Fifth Avenue’s North Star Mall location is the only one closing in Texas, but the company is closing stores in 18 states. A Saks Off Fifth location near Dallas and in Houston Saks Fifth Avenue will remain open.
The retailer filed for bankruptcy after accumulating $3.4 billion in debt, according to an article from Reuters. Saks Global faced shortfalls that left luxury brands concerned they might not be paid for the goods shipped to Saks locations.
A bankruptcy judge approved a $1 billion loan for the company on Feb. 20, according to Reuters, and it used around $600 million of that money to pay back its vendors. In its March 6 press release, Saks Global said its store closures also helped improve the company’s liquidity and keep clothes flowing in from its suppliers.
“These efforts have led to a significant acceleration of inventory flow, with shipping resumed by more than 500 brands releasing close to $1.3 billion in retail receipts,” Saks Global officials wrote in their press release.
