Neiman Marcus says efforts to save Downtown Dallas location are 'highly unproductive'

DALLAS - The company that owns Neiman Marcus says the plans to close the Downtown Dallas store are final, calling the city’s ongoing efforts to save the location "highly unproductive."

What they're saying:

A spokesperson for Saks Global told FOX 4 on Tuesday that the city is trying to pressure the company into changing its plans by making ‘false and inaccurate’ statements to the media.

The company says it has tried to contact the Dallas city manager several times, but it was denied.

Saks says it's focusing on the NorthPark Neiman Marcus location, where they’re planning a $100 million renovation.

A Saks Global spokesperson released the following statement:

"The Dallas Consortium’s ongoing tactic of using the press to pressure us into changing our strategy in Dallas is highly unproductive. Even after our corrections to their previous false statements, they continue to go to the press, making inaccurate claims. Our decision to close the Neiman Marcus Downtown Dallas store is final and we are moving forward as such. 

This is a far more complicated situation than what the public is being led to believe and has been going on for more than a decade. While we had been willing to hear the Consortium’s perspective, a meeting was not confirmed. We have made several attempts to be connected directly to the City Manager, as an official representative of the City of Dallas, and we were denied.

We are committed to growth, and are focused on Neiman Marcus’ future in Dallas. That future is at the NorthPark store, where we are planning a $100 million renovation." 

The other side:

The city of Dallas has not responded to Saks' Tuesday statement. It recently secured the deed to the land the building sits on in hopes of keeping the downtown location.

Downtown Dallas Neiman Marcus

The backstory:

A Saks Global spokesperson said last week that after more than a decade of negotiations, they received a notice from the landlord of the Downtown Dallas location to terminate their occupancy. The spokesperson said the landlord, the Slaughter family, was forcing them to close effective March 31, 2025. 

The 99-year ground lease ended on Jan. 31, 2025 and was extended to March 31, 2025. 

The original leaseholder, C.C. Slaughter, was close friends with both the Neiman and the Marcus families. For more than 99 years, the lease never received more than $400 per month. 

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Downtown Dallas Neiman Marcus landmark is too valuable to lose, city leaders say

Dallas leaders and stakeholders say the soon-to-close Downtown Dallas Neiman Marcus location is too valuable to lose over a ground lease dispute.

The Slaughter family confirmed their intention to donate the land to the City of Dallas, according to Downtown Dallas, Inc.

In July 2024, FOX 4 News reported that Saks Fifth Avenue, the parent company of Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Off 5th, was buying Neiman Marcus. The acquisition was finalized in December 2024 for $2.7 billion. 

Neiman Marcus was founded in Dallas in 1907, and its name has become synonymous with high-end luxury items.

The original Neiman Marcus store was at the intersection of Elm Street and North Field Street. A year after that building was destroyed in a fire in 1913, the company opened the current location at Main Street and Ervay Street. 

Neiman Marcus filed for bankruptcy protection in May 2020 during the pandemic but exited bankruptcy later that year.