Neiman Marcus set to close two stores
195 to lose jobs in Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach County
Luxury retailer Neiman Marcus will permanently close its stores at the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale and on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach.
The last day of business for each location is Sept. 12. Work forces of 122 in Fort Lauderdale and 73 in Palm Beach will lose their jobs effective Oct. 2, according to filings with the state Department of Economic Opportunity.
The company, whose Dallas-based parent filed for bankruptcy protection in May, blamed the coronavirus pandemic for the irretrievable loss of business. In separate notices for each store, the company had identical messages: “The store closing is expected to be permanent and will affect all employees.”
As with countless other retailers and consumer service businesses across the country, the company’s management blamed a dearth of customers caused by governmentimposed lockdowns and other restrictions made it impossible for either store to recover.
“There is no realistic prospect for stores revenues to recover to a sustainable level in the foreseeable future,” the notices said.
But the stores were effectively doomed on May 7, when bankruptcy papers showed the two South Florida stores, one at New York’s Hudson Yards, and another in Bellevue, Wash., were earmarked for closure.
The company also said 17 Last Call outlets would be shuttered.
The people to be laid off in South Florida are mostly sales employees and store managers. Restaurant workers at The Mermaid Bar at the Galleria also will lose their jobs. The restaurant had been temporarily closed, according to a website.
Other South Florida stores in the Neiman Marcus chain apparently still have futures. They include locations in Boca Raton, Bal Harbour and Coral Gables, as well as Last Call stores in Sunrise and Miami.
Prior to the bankruptcy filing, the Neiman Marcus Group included 42 Neiman Marcus department stores and two Bergdorf Goodman emporiums, as well as 22 Last Call outlets.
The Galleria, which has been losing both retail and restaurant tenants to the pandemic, still has Macy’s and Dillard’s, as well as the H&M fashion chain as its biggest retailers. But an Apple store that once drew large crowds of customers daily is empty, and a Godiva chocolate outlet and other smaller stores remain temporarily closed.
The mall’s hours of operation have been cut to 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and Sundays between noon and 6 p.m., according to its website.
Other prominent retail chains to descend into bankruptcy include Ascent, parent of Ann Taylor; J.C. Penney, Lord & Taylor and Stein Mart, which filed last week and intends to close out all of its South Florida stores.