Saks Is Ceding Ground to Luxury Rivals After Buying Neiman Marcus

The $2.7 billion acquisition of Neiman Marcus by Saks Fifth Avenue’s owner last year was supposed to create a luxury powerhouse. Instead, both department stores are losing customers and sales to competitors including Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom.

Sales at Saks Fifth Avenue fell 16% during the quarter that ended in June from a year earlier, according to Bloomberg Second Measure, which tracks debit and credit purchases. During the same period, combined sales at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman sank 10%. The slowdown accelerated over the three months, with June showing the biggest drop at the three retailers.