Saks OFF 5th is closing its Assembly Row store in Somerville and its outlet in Wrentham as its parent company, Saks Global, files for bankruptcy. On Thursday, the company announced it will shutter most of its Saks OFF 5th locations and all remaining Last Call stores, shifting its focus to luxury retail and full-price operations. The company began closing sales at certain Saks OFF 5th stores starting Saturday.
Worth Avenue and its surrounding streets have enjoyed an ongoing retail evolution over the years, with new and often bigger boutiques adding to Palm Beach's reputation as a designer enclave. As testament to the continued clout the area wields among global luxury brands, four beloved labels recently opened their doors on "the island," as residents discreetly refer to this town. Here, a look at the new kids on the block, arriving just in time for the season.
A former Saks Fifth Avenue personal shopper accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars in a long-running scheme is now suing Saks, alleging the luxury retailer waged a "calculated campaign" to destroy his reputation. Once hailed as a "stylist to Boston's most fabulous socialites," 43-year-old Suhail Kwatra now faces a criminal charge as authorities allege he made fraudulent refunds, mismanaged "promo cards," gave unpaid merchandise to clients, and abused a corporate card.
Saks Global said on Friday that its CEO, Marc Metrick, has stepped down and named executive chair, Richard Baker, as his successor, amid reports that the luxury retailer is preparing for bankruptcy. The change at the top comes days after the Wall Street Journal reported that the Neiman Marcus parent company is preparing for bankruptcy after missing an interest payment exceeding $100m on debt from its Neiman merger.
Inside a temporary Manhattan Louis Vuitton flagship, a server sets down a monogrammed potato waffle topped with creme fraiche, caviar, and chives. A few blocks away at Tiffany & Co., tourists sip Champagne while nibbling on tea sandwiches.These scenes have become routine in New York. High-end brands are branching out by opening fancy restaurants. The marriage of luxury shopping and fine dining has oots in shopping culture. Early department store pioneers like Marshall Field's and Wanamaker's introduced tea rooms and dining spaces
We would like to see progressive policies that reinvigorate international visitor spending, that support jobs and stimulate growth across the whole visitor economy, Burberry's chief executive, Joshua Schulman, said in a media call on Thursday. He said that would involve changing the VAT refund scheme, putting us on par with other European countries. We know that our tourist business here in London has gone down ever since that refund was taken away.
The head of British luxury brand Mulberry has called on the government to reinstate VAT-free shopping for international tourists, warning that the "unfair" tax burden is stifling investment and driving wealthy shoppers away from the UK. Chief executive Andrea Baldo said the move would help revitalise Britain's luxury and retail sectors - which have been hit hard by declining visitor spending since the 2021 abolition of the VAT rebate for overseas visitors - while boosting UK manufacturing and tourism revenues.
"Fantasy Gifts are where creativity meets luxury, and they capture the essence of what makes the holidays so special at Neiman Marcus," said Emily Essner, President & Chief Commercial Officer of Saks Global. "Each year, Fantasy Gifts allow us to dream bigger with our talented brand partners, surprise our customers in extraordinary ways, and bring a little magic to the season."
Saint Laurent has renovated its boutique in Milan with works by local artists and designers, including Gaetano Pesce and Gio Ponti. Reopening on September 20th, 2025, the retail store at Via Montenapoleone, 8, introduces a third floor for the menswear collection, which was not present in the previous interiors. Colors, materials, and textures rooted in Parisian and Milanese designs harmonize inside the space.
Cyber criminals have stolen the personal details of potentially millions of Gucci, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen customers in a ransomware attack on their parent company, Kering. The luxury group confirmed that in April hackers gained "temporary access" to its systems and accessed customer records, though it insists no financial information such as card or bank details was stolen.
(A baby sand shark named Sinatra eventually had to be removed, for bullying his tank mates.) Across its nine floors, the store boasted twenty-three escalators, trimmed in goatskin leather. But construction delays meant that they didn't start revolving until the final moments before the grand-opening party, and new escalators need at least two weeks of use to stretch out their creaks.
To be fair, my use of the word precinct to describe this lovingly titivated landmark feels a bit shabby, as does retail experience. And plain old mall definitely won't do, because Battersea's collection of 150-odd shops is very much in the la-di-da, aspirational, lululemon, Mulberry and Malin+Goetz range of money-frittering, all set over multiple floors with dramatic mezzanines. This is a sumptuous paean to industrial chic, with pleasing air-conditioning and polished floors,
Throughout history, apothecaries have acted as spaces of both curiosity and care. Traditionally defined by dark wood, elaborate detailing, and a plethora of small drawers containing unseen intrigues, these service-forward spaces offered intimate consultations conducted on either side of a counter. Living Beauty boldly reinvents this bygone but invaluable typology, defining an impactful interior design identity for the luxury beauty retailer.
Inside the new space, Bisazza will also showcase collaborations like the trompe-l'Åil architectural lllusions by American visual artist Daniel Arsham, and fashion brand Pucci's haute couture patterns reimagined in glass.
