Saks International, the father or mother firm behind the 159-year-old division retailer that is grow to be each a vacation spot and an emblem for luxurious trend, filed for Chapter 11 chapter safety on Wednesday after an unsustainable debt pile crushed its enterprise.
The corporate additionally introduced former Neiman Marcus CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck will instantly take over as chief government, changing Richard Baker. He had been within the job for simply two weeks, however had been concerned with Saks since Hudson’s Bay acquired it in 2013 when he was CEO of the Canadian division retailer.
With van Raemdonck comes a revamped senior management staff stacked with veterans from Neiman Marcus, which Saks International acquired in 2024. Darcy Penick, who served because the president of Bergdorf Goodman earlier than Saks purchased the division retailer, will take over as president and chief industrial officer for Saks International. Lana Todorovich, Neiman’s former chief merchandising officer, has been named chief of world model partnerships.
Forward of the submitting, Saks secured $1.75 billion in new financing from a bunch of the corporate’s senior secured bondholders and asset-based lenders. The lion’s share, $1 billion, is debtor-in-possession financing that might be used to fund operations whereas the corporate is in Chapter 11 whereas a further $500 million might be accessible to the corporate after it emerges from chapter, which it mentioned it expects to do later this 12 months. Its asset-based lenders supplied a further $240 million in incremental liquidity.
The flush of latest cash comes after Saks struggled to line up DIP financing, which might be used to maintain the enterprise working throughout Chapter 11 proceedings, CNBC beforehand reported. With out it, Saks confronted the prospect of liquidation, which may’ve spelled the tip for one of the vital fabled department shops in historical past.
Customers stroll outdoors the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship retailer in Manhattan in New York Metropolis, U.S., Jan. 6, 2026.
Angelina Katsanis | Reuters
A chapter submitting for Saks International has been seen as inevitable for weeks after the corporate missed an curiosity cost to bondholders late final month. What continues to be unclear is what’s going to occur to the corporate and the almost 200 doorways underneath its umbrella throughout Saks’ namesake shops and its off-price chain, together with Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.
In a information launch, the corporate mentioned its “evaluating its operational footprint” to place its sources the place it sees the “best long-term potential.” That possible means a trimmed down retailer fleet within the coming months to cut back the corporate’s fastened prices.
“This can be a defining second for Saks International, and the trail forward presents a significant alternative to strengthen the muse of our enterprise and place it for the longer term,” CEO van Raemdonck mentioned in a information launch.
“In shut partnership with these newly appointed leaders and our colleagues throughout the group, we’ll navigate this course of along with a continued concentrate on serving our clients and luxurious manufacturers. I look ahead to serving as CEO and persevering with to rework the Firm in order that Saks International continues to play a central position in shaping the way forward for luxurious retail.”
How did Saks crumble?
Although it caters to among the wealthiest customers on the planet, Saks has been steadily working out of money and failing to pay a few of its payments after it acquired its longtime rival Neiman Marcus in 2024 in a $2.7 billion deal closely financed with debt.
Nonetheless, Saks was struggling to pay its distributors even earlier than it acquired Neiman. By means of the acquisition, the corporate obtained a flood of latest cash that was speculated to deleverage the mixed enterprise and supply it with “vital liquidity,” Saks mentioned on the time.
The tie-up introduced a contemporary slate of deep-pocketed traders from the tech world, together with Amazon and Salesforce, and was anticipated to create a luxurious division retailer powerhouse with an improved value construction and stronger negotiating energy.
As an alternative, Saks did not implement the turnaround traders had banked on. It briefly obtained higher at paying its distributors, however then moved to a 90-day cost time period, angering and pushing away manufacturers that mentioned the situations had been too onerous to work for his or her companies.
Quickly, it stopped paying suppliers as soon as once more, which led to each a dip in assortment and gross sales.
Within the backdrop, Saks’ debt started buying and selling beneath its face worth, elevating questions concerning the firm’s means to maintain operations working and make curiosity funds to bondholders, folks acquainted with the matter mentioned, who spoke anonymously as a result of the discussions had been non-public. Over the summer season, it secured $600 million in new financing and offered off key actual property property to drum up additional cash.
Whereas these efforts purchased the corporate a while, they finally did not forestall a chapter submitting.
