Saks Fifth leaving San Francisco's Union Square

Saks Fifth Avenue leaving San Francisco's Union Square

Saks Fifth Avenue is joining the list of long-standing businesses leaving San Francisco’s Union Square.

SAN FRANCISCO - Saks Fifth Avenue is joining the list of long-standing businesses leaving San Francisco’s Union Square.

Closing in May

What we know:

The luxury retailer announced Wednesday it will close its Union Square location in May.

"The Saks Fifth Avenue San Francisco store will close on May 10, 2025. While we saw meaningful engagement and success through the appointment-only format, we have made this decision as part of our integration process as we focus on long-term growth," a spokesperson for Saks Global, the parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue, said in a statement.

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The company said it hopes to continue serving Bay Area customers through its other subsidiaries, including Neiman Marcus San Francisco, Neiman Marcus Palo Alto, and The Fifth Avenue Club Palo Alto.

Employees at the Union Square location may have opportunities to transfer to Neiman Marcus San Francisco, the company said, though it’s unclear how many will be affected by the closure.

The closure doesn't come as a surprise 

What they're saying:

The Union Square Alliance said Saks’ departure was not unexpected.

"While the closing of Saks marks the end of an era, this was not an unforeseen development considering their recent changes to an appointment-only model, and Neiman Marcus acquisition. We expect the path to downtown revitalization to have its twists and turns—still we are extremely optimistic about the future of Union Square," the organization said in a statement. 

The closure comes less than a year after the store switched to an appointment-only format.

Saks’ exit follows Bloomingdale’s departure from San Francisco.

The department store closed its flagship location at the San Francisco Centre mall on Market Street in March.

Despite the losses, the Union Square Alliance says new retailers are on the way. A Nintendo store is expected to open in May, and Zara plans to open a four-story flagship location next year.