XPost: talk.politics.guns, alt.politics.republicans, sac.politics   
   XPost: alt.california   
   From: democrats@caused.it   
      
   The Saks Fifth Avenue store in San Francisco’s Union Square announced   
   planned layoffs and a major operational change Thursday.   
      
   Representatives of the posh department store chain, which is headquartered   
   in New York, informed employees at the Union Square location at 384 Post St.   
   that, effective Aug. 28, the store will be converting its operations to   
   “appointment only.”   
      
   The announcement also included news of a round of layoffs. A spokesperson   
   for Saks confirmed the developments in an email to the Chronicle on   
   Thursday.   
      
   “We’re always looking for innovative ways to optimize our store experience   
   to match luxury consumers’ evolving expectations, including by meeting our   
   customers where and how they want to shop with us. With that, beginning Aug.   
   28, we are transforming our Saks Fifth Avenue San Francisco store to operate   
   by appointment only, enabling associates to offer customers more refined   
   services tailored to their preferences,” the spokesperson said. “We look   
   forward to serving our San Francisco customers with this new experience.”   
      
   It is unclear how many of Saks’ Union Square employees received layoff   
   notices Thursday, though the company’s spokesperson indicated that those who   
   are eligible will receive severance packages.   
      
   Saks’ shift to appointment-based shopping in San Francisco will function   
   similarly to the operations of Saks’ other Northern California locations,   
   which offer shopping and personal styling only with appointments, according   
   to the company’s website.   
      
   The spokesperson did not comment on the motivations behind the pivot to   
   appointment-based shopping, though a source with insight into the matter   
   told the Chronicle that it is probably a response to downtown’s   
   “challenging” retail environment.   
      
   Retailer Nordstrom exited downtown San Francisco’s shopping mall near Union   
   Square last year, ending its 35-year tenancy in that location. The mall,   
   formerly known as the Westfield Centre, struggled with low foot traffic,   
   declining sales and rising vacancy, and was seized by its lenders last   
   summer.   
      
   Other major retailers have exited the area or announced planned closures in   
   the wake of the pandemic, including the North Face and Macy’s, which anchors   
   Union Square with a huge flagship store along O'Farrell Street.   
      
   Saks Off Fifth, the discount luxury retailer that also is owned by Saks’   
   parent company, Hudson’s Bay Co., or HBC, also shuttered its downtown San   
   Francisco location at 901 Market St. last year.   
      
   HBC announced this month that it will acquire luxury brand retailer Neiman   
   Marcus Group in a deal valued at $2.65 billion.   
      
   David Perry, spokesperson for the Union Square Alliance, a nonprofit group   
   focused on activating and drawing investment to the area, said that in light   
   of the acquisition, "consolidation between brands is to be expected   
   nationwide."   
      
   "We are seeing retailers with high end clientele offering appointment   
   service. Saks Fifth Avenue stores in Napa and Palo Alto have already made   
   the transition to appointment-only operations," Perry said. "We look forward   
   to Saks continuing to be a part of Union Square's luxury market as they find   
   innovative ways to serve their customer and navigate through this   
   transition."   
      
      
   https://www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/article/s-f-union-square-saks-   
   appointment-shopping-19582844.php   
      
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