Saks Fifth Avenue

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Saks Fifth Avenue is a chain of upscale department stores that is a owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises (SFAE), a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes on a price level on par with Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and above Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom. Saks Fifth Avenue is headquartered in New York City.

Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises (SFAE) consists of 54 Saks Fifth Avenue stores, 50 Saks Off 5th stores, and saks.com.

History

The exterior of a typical Saks Fifth Avenue department store at Town Center at Boca Raton located in Boca Raton, Florida.

Saks Fifth Avenue is the successor of a business founded in 1867 and incorporated in New York in 1902 as Saks & Company. In 1923 Saks & Co. merged with Gimbel's converting the stores into the Saks nameplate. In 1924, Horace Saks and Bernard Gimbel opened Saks Fifth Avenue in 1924 in New York City.

When Adam Gimbel became President of Saks Fifth Avenue in 1926, the company took on national aspirations. The very first branch store opened in 1926 the city of Palm Beach, Florida as a resort store, followed by a Southhampton resort store in 1928. The first full-line year-round Saks store was opened in Chicago, Illinois in 1929, followed by another resort store in Miami Beach, Florida. In 1938 Saks expanded to the West Coast, opening in Beverly Hills. By the end of the 1930s Saks Fifth Avenue had a total of 10 stores, including resort locations such as Sun Valley, Mount Stowe and Newport. More full-line stores followed with Detroit in 1940, Pittsburgh in 1949. The company moved to its own freestanding location approximately one block from its former home in the Gimbel's flagship. The San Francisco location opened in 1952. More expansion followed in the 1960s.

Trivia and Pop Culture

• Saks Fifth Avenue's main competitor is Neiman Marcus, a department store based in Dallas, Texas.

• Winona Ryder was caught shoplifting at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. A parody about this was played out in the movie White Chicks.

• In the film Clueless Saks was mentioned as one of Cher and Dion's favorite department stores.

• In Shrek 2's Kingdom of Far Far Away, it is parodied as Saxon Fifth Avenue.

• In the 2005 film adaptation of Steve Martin's novella, Shopgirl, Claire Danes plays Mirabelle Buttersfield, an aspiring artist and sales associate at the infrequently visited gloves counter of the Beverly Hills Saks Fifth Avenue. Interestingly this was changed for the film, in the novella Mirabelle works for Neiman Marcus.

Locations in the United States

• Birmingham - The Summit - 99,500 sq ft. (opened 2001)

• Phoenix - Biltmore Fashion Park - 90,000 sq ft. (opened 1994, replacement)

• Los Angeles MSA/Beverly Hills - Wilshire Boulevard (freestanding) - 170,000 sq ft. (opened 1938)
• Los Angeles MSA/Beverly Hills - Wilshire Boulevard West (freestanding) - 115,000 sq ft. (opened 1995)
• Los Angeles MSA/Palos Verdes - The Avenue of the Peninsula - 47,000 sq ft. (opened 1999, closing announced, unscheduled)
• Los Angeles MSA/Costa Mesa, Orange County - South Coast Plaza - 105,000 sq ft. (opened 1979)
• Los Angeles MSA/Mission Viejo, Orange County - The Shops at Mission Viejo - 100,000 sq ft. (opened 1999, closing announced, unscheduled)
• Palm Desert - The Gardens on El Paseo - 50,000 sq ft. (opened 1999)
• San Diego - Fashion Valley Mall - 80,000 sq ft. (opened 1995)
• San Francisco - Union Square (freestanding) - 136,000 sq ft. (opened 1952)''
• San Francisco - Union Square Men's (freestanding) - 35,000 sq ft. (opened 1997)
• Santa Barbara - State Street (freestanding) (opened 1999)

• Denver - Cherry Creek Shopping Center - 90,000 sq ft. (opened 1990)

• Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk MSA/Greenwich, Connecticut - Greenwich Avenue (freestanding) - 36,000 sq ft. (opened 1996)
• Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk MSA/Stamford - Stamford Town Center - 80,000 sq ft. (opened 1982)

• Washington D.C. - Mazza Gallerie Men's (on Wisconsin Avenue) - 22,000 sq ft. (opened 2000)

• Bradenton/Sarasota MSA/Sarasota - Westfield Southgate - 40,000 sq ft. (opened 1996),
• Fort Myers - The Bell Tower Shops - 40,000 sq ft. (opened 1996)
• Naples - Waterside Shops at Pelican Bay - 65,000 sq ft. (opened 1992, expanding 2007)
• Orlando - The Florida Mall - 106,000 sq ft. (opened 1996)
• South Florida MSA/Fort Lauderdale, Broward County - The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale - 74,000 sq ft. (opened 1980)
• South Florida MSA/Bal Harbour, Dade County - Bal Harbour Shops - 140,000 sq ft.
• South Florida MSA/Miami, Dade County - Dadeland Mall - 160,000 sq ft. (opened 1984)
• South Florida MSA/Boca Raton, Palm Beach County - Town Center at Boca Raton - 144,000 sq ft. (opened 1999, replacement)
• South Florida MSA/Palm Beach, Palm Beach County - Worth Avenue (freestanding) - 37,000 sq ft. (opened 1926)
• South Florida MSA/Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach County - The Gardens Mall - 75,000 sq ft. (opened 1991)
• Tampa-St. Petersburg MSA/Tampa - WestShore Plaza - 99,500 sq ft. (opened 1998)

The Saks Fifth Avenue at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia.

• Atlanta - Phipps Plaza - 170,000 sq ft. (opened 1969)

• Chicago - Chicago Place on Michigan Avenue - 160,000 sq ft. (opened 1990, replacement)
• Chicago - Michigan Avenue Men's (freestanding) - 30,000 sq ft. (opened 1999)
• Chicago MSA/Highland Park - Renaissance Place - 50,000 sq ft. (opened 2000)

• Indianapolis - The Fashion Mall at Keystone - 120,000 sq ft. (opened 2003)

• New Orleans - The Shops at Canal Place - 108,000 sq ft. (opened 1983; currently not in operation in the wake of citywide damage from Hurricane Katrina)

• Washington, D.C. MSA/Chevy Chase - Wisconsin Avenue (freestanding) - 110,000 sq ft. (opened 1963)

• Boston - The Shops at Prudential Center - 110,000 sq ft

• Detroit MSA/Troy - The Somerset Collection - 160,000 sq ft. (opened 1967)

• St. Louis MSA/Frontenac - Plaza Frontenac - 123,000 sq ft. (opened 1974)

This replaced a store in St. Louis, Missouri that had been open since the 1950s.

• Las Vegas - Fashion Show - 160,000 sq ft. (opened 2002, replacement)

• New York MSA/Hackensack, Bergen County - The Shops at Riverside - 107,000 sq ft. (opened 1977)
• New York MSA/Short Hills - The Mall at Short Hills - 120,000 sq ft. ''(opened 1995)

• New York MSA/Manhattan - 611 Fifth Avenue (flagship) - 646,000 sq ft. (opened 1924)
• New York MSA/Huntington Station, Long Island - Walt Whitman Mall - 100,000 sq ft. (opened 1999)
• Southampton - Hampton Road (freestanding) - 13,000 sq ft. (opened 1928)

• Raleigh/Durham MSA/Raleigh - Triangle Town Center - 80,000 sq ft. (opened 2004)

• Cincinnati - Fifth Street (freestanding) - 76,000 sq ft. (opened 1984)
• Cleveland MSA/Beachwood - Beachwood Place - 117,000 sq ft. (opened 1978)
• Columbus - Polaris Fashion Place - 100,000 sq ft. (opened 2001)

• Tulsa - Utica Square - 62,000 sq ft. (opened 1986)

• Portland - Pioneer Place - 60,000 sq ft. (opened 1990)

• Philadelphia MSA/Bala Cynwyd - Bala Plaza - 102,000 sq ft. (opened 1969)
• Pittsburgh - Mellon Square (freestanding) - 100,000 sq ft. (opened 1977)

• Charleston - Majestic Square (freestanding) - 30,000 sq ft. (opened 1996)

• Austin - Arboretum Market - 55,000 sq ft. (opened 1997)
• Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex/Dallas - Galleria Dallas - 175,000 sq ft. (opened 1999, replacement)''
• Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex/Hurst - North East Mall - 100,000 sq ft. (opened 2000, closing announced, unscheduled)
• Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex/Plano - The Shops at Willow Bend - 140,000 sq ft. (opened 2004)
• Houston - The Galleria - 185,500 sq ft. (opened 1997, to replace store on Post Oak Boulevard north of The Galleria between 1972-1997)
• San Antonio - North Star Mall - 104,000 sq ft. (opened 1985)

• Richmond - Stony Point Fashion Park - 80,000 sq ft. (opened 2003)
• Washington D.C. MSA/McLean-Tysons Corner - Tysons Galleria - 120,000 sq ft. (opened 1988)

International locations

Saudi Arabia

• Riyadh - Kingdom Center Tower

United Arab Emirates

• Dubai - burjuman Mall

Former locations

• Carmel, California - Carmel Plaza - 48,000 sq ft. (closed 1/2005)
• Los Angeles, California MSA/Pasadena - Pasadena (freestanding) - 34,000 sq.. ft. (opened 1998, closed 1/2005)
• Los Angeles, California MSA/Los Angeles (Woodland Hills) - The Promenade at Woodlands Hills - 120,000 sq ft. (closed 1994 after Northridge Earthquake, replaced by AMC Theatre)
• Palm Springs, California - Desert Fashion Plaza - 50,000 sq ft (opened 1984, closed 2001)
• San Diego, California - Mission Valley Center - 77,000 sq ft. (closed 1994)
• San Diego, California MSA/La Jolla - La Jolla (freestanding) - 29,000 sq ft. (closed 1994)
• San Diego, California MSA/La Jolla - La Jolla (freestanding) - 46,000 sq ft. (opened 1997, closed 1/2005)
• San Francisco, California MSA/Danville - The Shops at Blackhawk - 50,000 sq ft. (opened 1998, closed 1999, only open 11 months)
• San Jose, California MSA/Palo Alto - Stanford Shopping Center - 62,000 sq ft. (opened 1962, closed 1994)
• Chicago, Illinois MSA/Oak Brook - Oakbrook Center - 91,000 sq ft. (closed 12/2002, replaced by Bloomingdale's)
• Chicago, Illinois MSA/Skokie - Westfield Old Orchard - 105,000 sq ft. (opened 1978, closed 7/2005)
• Owings Mills, Maryland - Owings Mills Mall (opened 1986, closed 1996)
• Detroit, Michigan MSA/Dearborn - Fairlane Town Center - 90,000 sq ft. (opened 1978, closed 2001, converted to Off 5th)
• Minneapolis, Minnesota - Gaviidae Common on Nicollet Mall - 84,000 sq ft. (opened 1989, closed 1/2005, converted to Off 5th)
• Kansas City, Missouri - Country Club Plaza - 73,000 sq ft. (opened 1982, closed 2/2005)
• New York MSA/Springfield, New Jersey - Springfield (freestanding) - 75,000 sq ft. (opened 1957, closed 1994 with Short Hills opening)
• New York MSA/Garden City, Long Island, New York - Garden City (freestanding) - 106,000 sq ft. (opened 1962, closed 1/2005)
• New York MSA/White Plains, Westchester County, New York - White Plains (freestanding) - 128,000 sq ft. (opened 1954, closed 1/2002)
• Hilton Head, South Carolina - The Mall at Shelter Cove - 50,000 sq ft. (opened 1997, closed 1/2005, converted to Off 5th)
• Houston, Texas - Town & Country Mall - 105,000 sq ft. (opened 1997, closed 2000)
• Houston, Texas - The Pavilion at Post Oak - 125,000 sq ft. (opened 1972, closed 1997 with Galleria opening)

External links

• [Designer Clothes & Handbags - Saks Fifth Avenue Official Website]

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