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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.
Meanwhile, sales at Bloomingdale's, owned by Macy's Inc., and Nordstrom Inc. both rose more than 10% during the same quarter, according to Second Measure.
The declining revenue figures show the magnitude of the challenges facing Saks Global, as the combination of the department store chains is called. The closely held company is trying to reverse the sales decline and just took on more debt in part to pay vendors $275 million in overdue bills.
Bloomberg Second Measure data may not fully capture the sales trends at these retailers because it analyzes more debit than credit card purchases. Shoppers at Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks customers often use credit cards more frequently than middle-income shoppers at other outlets.
That means the sales slowdown in the Bloomberg Second Measure data could be sharper than it really is. And the sales increase could appear stronger at Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom, where more shoppers use debit cards.
But the Bloomberg Second Measure data is still helpful to show the trajectory of revenue trends. In June, sales fell 28% at Saks and 26% at Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. At Bloomingdale's, sales rose 13%.
After Saks borrowed $2.2 billion in December to finance its acquisition of longtime rival Neiman Marcus, executives had planned to spend this year working to combine the two iconic chains, cutting costs and streamlining technology and supply-chain operations to position the new juggernaut to take an even greater share of luxury spending in the US.
But the company has also been contending with some vendors who are slowing or holding back their shipments, worried about not getting paid. Investors, concerned about Saks' ability to pay its bills, have sent the price of its bonds plummeting in recent months.
The challenges aren't all homegrown. The broader luxury sector is undergoing a slowdown, too. That's hit sales at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE and Gucci owner Kering SA — brands that sell large quantities of products at Saks Global.
Saks Global has seen green shoots recently, including an uptick in vendor shipments after the company secured new financing. It expects 'this trend to continue as we execute on our plan to begin paying outstanding balances in July,' a Saks Global spokesperson said in a statement. 'As inventory flow approaches normalized levels, we are confident that we can deliver for our customers.'
Also, Saks' recently launched storefront on Amazon.com is starting to show a positive response, the spokesperson said.
Client Complaints
Even if Saks repays overdue bills and persuades enough vendors to restart or increase their shipments of merchandise, the company still has another uphill battle: win back clients who have shifted their shopping to rivals in recent months or pulled back on spending altogether because of economic jitters.
Complaints about receiving orders in damaged boxes, charging for returns and rejected or delayed refunds from Saks and Neiman Marcus have increased since the beginning of the year, said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Mary Ross Gilbert, who has looked through online reviews. That points to how Saks' efforts to conserve cash and cut costs are starting to undermine what's supposed to be a high-end shopping experience, she said.
'Bankruptcy risk remains given what appears to be a multitude of execution problems impacting customer experience,' Ross Gilbert said. 'It's just so much easier to shop elsewhere.'
Although online reviews about retailers in general skew negative, those raised about Bloomingdale's tend to focus on late package deliveries and are more benign than customers' frustration with Saks Global, Ross Gilbert said.
The Saks spokesperson said the company's fulfillment centers have implemented new processes that 'reduce the time for processing returns within 7 to 10 days, while ensuring customers receive high-quality merchandise in future orders.'
Saks Fifth Avenue has had steep revenue declines since early 2023, with sales falling an average of nearly 21% each quarter versus a year earlier, according to Bloomberg Second Measure.
At Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, revenue trends have been choppier. Sales were up in the final quarter of 2024 and again in the first quarter of 2025 versus a year earlier, but then turned negative in the most recent one. Meanwhile, Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom have increased year-over-year sales every quarter during the last year.
Holiday Season
The pressure on Saks is particularly acute now because it's filling its warehouses and stores with products to sell during the crucial holiday season from November through January.
If vendors hold back on shipments to Saks now – because they don't want to risk not being paid or being paid late – that would leave the department stores without enough luxury goods on shelves during the holiday shopping season, which would likely accelerate shoppers' shift to Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom.
Saks is using $600 million in fresh financing to start to make $275 million in overdue payments to brands this month and, separately, is starting to pay them for new products they've shipped since the beginning of the year.
'We're in the window where, I think, investors and brands are looking to see how the proposed game plan is actually going to play out in real life,' said Jeff Abrams, founder and chief executive officer of Los Angeles apparel company Rails, which sells its products at Saks. 'This next month or two will be very telling.'
Rails has continued to ship merchandise to Saks despite being owed a couple million dollars because Abrams sees an opportunity to expand the availability of Rails products at the department store as other brands scale back, wary of not getting paid. But Abrams is also continuing to open up more Rails stores across the US in part to be less reliant on selling its products at third-party retailers.
Rails has started to receive some recent payments from Saks, via its financial intermediary, called a factor, which guarantees orders from retailers.
Vendors, particularly smaller ones that have less financial room to maneuver, are between a rock and a hard place with Saks. To ship or not to ship, that's the question they're asking themselves. They don't want to risk more unpaid bills but, at the same time, Rails and others want Saks – which needs more inventory – to succeed.
'If Saks can stabilize and thrive,' Abrams said, 'that benefits us and many other vendors as well.'
--With assistance from Matt Townsend.
(Updates with additional context starting in fifth paragraph.)
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Again, there'll be a transition cost and transition problems, but in the end, it's going to be a beautiful thing.' April 11, 5 p.m. EDT Trump told reporters on Air Force One he thinks his 10% baseline tariff rate is likely 'the floor,' though there 'could be a couple of exceptions,' also saying he's 'very comfortable now' with at least 145% tariffs on Chinese imports while still leaving room for negotiations. April 11, 10:36 p.m. EDT U.S. Customs and Border Protection issued 'Reciprocal Tariff Exclusion' guidance saying smartphones, computers and other electronic devices were now exempt from the tariffs, countering the previous statements from Trump and his officials suggesting they wanted to move such manufacturing to the U.S. (flip-flop No. 8). April 12 The White House said in response to the exemption on tech products the administration still wants to move manufacturing of those products to the U.S., with Leavitt saying in a statement, 'President Trump has made it clear America cannot rely on China to manufacture critical technologies such as semiconductors, chips, smartphones, and laptops … these companies are hustling to onshore their manufacturing in the United States as soon as possible.' April 13, 9 a.m. EDT Lutnick told ABC's 'This Week' the exemption on semiconductors and other goods is only temporary, claiming Trump is still crafting tariffs on tech goods and pharmaceuticals that will be rolled out 'in probably a month or two.' April 13, 3:36 p.m. EDT Trump claimed on Truth Social that contrary to the customs announcement, there was 'no Tariff 'exception' announced on Friday' and the tariffs on smartphones and other goods are 'just moving to a different Tariff 'bucket,' adding his administration will be 'taking a look at Semiconductors and the WHOLE ELECTRONICS SUPPLY CHAIN in the upcoming National Security Tariff Investigations' (flip-flop No. 9). Later in the day, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he would soon announce tariff rates for chips, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, also promising that tariffs would be restored for electronics 'very soon,' but he would also 'talk to companies,' arguing, 'You have to show a certain flexibility. Nobody should be so rigid.' April 14 Trump told reporters he would consider pausing his tariffs on automobiles as he noted some automakers moved production to the U.S., saying, 'I'm looking at something to help some of the car companies, where they're shifting to parts that were made in Canada, Mexico and other places.' April 17, 4 p.m. EDT Trump told reporters his administration is 'going to make a deal with everybody' on trade and he thinks the deals will be 'concluded' 'over the next three or four weeks,' adding, 'At a certain point, if we don't make a deal we'll just set a limit, we'll set a tariff … and we'll say, 'Come in and shop.'' Trump also told reporters that day he'll 'make a very good deal with China' and he's '100 percent' sure the U.S. can make a trade deal with the European Union, adding he's 'in no rush' to announce deals with specific countries. April 22, 4 p.m. EDT Trump told reporters he won't play 'hard ball' with China in their tariff negotiations and floated that he could lower his punishing 145% tariff rate on Chinese imports, saying it is 'very high' and the rate will 'come down substantially, but it won't be zero'—contradicting his previous comments that he's 'comfortable' with where the tariffs now stand (flip-flop No. 10). April 23, 11 a.m. EDT Bessent countered Trump's comments about lowering China's tariffs, telling reporters Trump had not made any offer to unilaterally lower the tariff rate on Chinese goods—though he added, 'I don't think either side believes that the current tariff levels are sustainable, so I would not be surprised if they went down in a mutual way.' The president and his treasury secretary also conflicted on whether the U.S. is already in trade negotiations with China: Trump told reporters his administration is 'actively' talking with China, while Bessent told reporters in a separate appearance that 'both sides are waiting to speak to the other,' adding when asked if that meant the two countries aren't in trade discussions, 'Not yet.' April 29 Trump signed an executive order exempting companies paying the 25% tariff on imported cars and auto parts from paying other tariffs, such as those on steel and aluminum (flip-flop No. 11). Companies will also receive a reimbursement on tariffs for imported parts equal to up to 3.75% of the value of a new car in the first year and 2.5% of the car's value in the second year before it's phased out, multiple outlets reported. May 6, 12 p.m. EDT Trump tamped down hopes of imminent trade deals with other countries in comments to reporters, complaining about people asking, 'How many deals are you signing this week?' and suggesting his officials were misspeaking about wanting to sign deals with every country who asks—despite previously saying he would make deals with 'everybody.' (flip-flop No. 12). 'I think my people haven't made it clear, we will sign some deals,' Trump told reporters, 'but much bigger than that is we're going to put down the price that people are going to have to pay to shop in the United States. Think of us as a super luxury store, a store that has the goods.' The president also suggested to reporters he did not feel any urgency to start negotiating with China, claiming the U.S. is 'losing nothing' by not trading with Beijing and answering 'no' when asked if he would bring the tariff rate on Chinese goods down in order to start negotiations. May 6, 7 p.m. EDT Shortly after Trump's comments, however, Bessent and Greer said they would participate in discussions with Chinese officials in Switzerland over the weekend—which Beijing claims the Trump administration requested, though Trump later denied that (flip-flop No. 13). May 8 Trump announced his administration's first trade deal—or at least the framework for one—which was made with the United Kingdom, and still leaves the 10% baseline tariff on U.K. imports in place. May 9, 7:26 a.m. EDT Trump floated a potential 80% tariff rate on Chinese imports, writing on Truth Social, '80% Tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B.'—after floating to reporters the day before he was now open to lowering tariffs on China, saying that if negotiations over the weekend went well, 'You know [the tariff rate is] coming down' (flip-flop No. 14). May 9, 1 p.m. EDT Leavitt told reporters Trump's 10% tariffs on foreign goods will be permanent even after the Trump administration completes trade deals with other countries, saying the president is 'determined to continue with that 10% baseline tariff.' May 12 After suggesting Sunday they had reached some kind of agreement, Bessent and Chinese officials announced Monday a 90-day pause on the worst of the two countries' tariffs on the other's goods, with the U.S. lowering its tariff rate on most Chinese goods to a combined 30%, which includes both the 'Liberation Day' tariffs and the 20% tariffs the Trump administration had previously imposed—and is far below the 80% figure Trump floated (flip-flop No. 15). May 16 Trump suggested he will reimpose new tariff rates without completing trade deals with other countries—despite the White House claiming he would offer trade deals to 'each and every country that calls up this administration to strike a deal'—telling reporters, 'We have ... 150 countries that want to make a deal, but you're not able to see that many countries' (flip-flop No. 16). The president suggested Lutnick and Bessent will be 'sending letters out' in the coming weeks to foreign governments that the administration won't reach trade deals with, in which the Trump administration will 'be telling people what they'll be paying to do business in the United States.' May 18 Bessent told CNN the Trump administration is largely focused on negotiating with just 18 key trading partners and backtracked on Trump's claim letters imposing new tariff rates will be sent out to other countries the Trump administration doesn't have time to negotiate with, telling CNN and 'Meet the Press' that letters will only be sent to nations who don't negotiate in 'good faith' informing them their tariffs will return to their previous April 2 rates (flip-flop No. 17). Bessent also suggested for the first time that the Trump administration could impose blanket tariff rates on different global regions, such as central America or parts of Africa. May 19 Hassett claimed Monday to Fox Business the Trump administration has a 'number of deals' on the table that could be finalized over the next two weeks, suggesting those could serve as a template for other countries' trade deals with the U.S., and echoed Bessent in suggesting the Trump administration will reimpose its April 2 tariff rates on any countries who don't reach deals. May 23, 7:19 a.m. EDT After previously reversing his tariffs on Apple products, Trump threatened 25% tariffs on iPhones in an early morning Truth Social post, saying he will impose the tariff on Apple if its phones being sold in the U.S. are not 'manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else' (flip-flop No. 18). May 23, 7:43 a.m. EDT The president also threatened new 50% tariffs on imports from the European Union starting June 1, writing on Truth Social that the bloc 'has been very difficult to deal with' and claiming, 'Our discussions with them are going nowhere!' (flip-flop No. 19). May 23, 9:30 a.m. EDT After Hassett previously suggested that deals with other countries could be announced imminently in the coming weeks, Bessent offered a more pessimistic view, telling Fox News only that he expects there to be 'more and more' deals announced 'as we approach the end of the 90-day period,' which doesn't expire until July (flip-flop No. 20). May 25 Following a call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Trump said he would postpone imposing 50% tariffs on the European Union to July 9, stating he would 'rapidly get together' with European leaders to 'see if we can work something out' (flip-flop No. 21). May 28 Trump was asked about criticism he's 'chicken[ed] out' by backing down from the harsher tariff rates he imposed, which the president called a 'nasty question,' claiming about his decision to set high tariff rates and then lower them, 'It's called negotiations.' 'You set a number' so it will go down, Trump said, adding he thought the 145% tariff rate that was in place for Chinese imports was 'high' and suggesting he set the 50% tariff rate on the EU in order to get it to the negotiating table—with Trump going on to muse that he'll face criticism calling him 'chicken' if he negotiates with Europe and gets its tariffs down to a more 'reasonable' rate. May 30 Trump announced a raise on steel tariffs from 25% to 50% during an event in Pennsylvania, saying the new rate would go into effect on June 4 (flip-flop No. 22). June 4 The steel and aluminum tariff hike took effect, raising import fees on those products to 50%—except for those from the U.K., which will faces a lower 25% tariff rate thanks to the trade deal the country's government reached with the Trump administration. June 11 Bessent testified to House lawmakers it's 'highly likely' Trump will extend his tariff pause in order to complete negotiations with trading partners, claiming the administration is prepared to 'roll the date forward,' while Trump told reporters later that day he wouldn't rule out an extension. (flip-flop No. 23) June 27 Trump said his administration can 'do whatever we want' on the tariff deadline, saying, 'We could extend it, we could make it shorter,' and claimed the White House would send out letters to other countries 'over the next week and a half or so, or maybe before,' in which the administration is 'just going to tell them what they have to pay to do business in the United States.' June 30 Bessent then suggested tariff rates for any countries who don't reach deals could return to the initial April 2 levels, telling Bloomberg TV that other countries negotiating with the administration 'should be aware that if we can't get across the line because they are being recalcitrant, then we could spring back to the April 2 levels.' July 2 Trump announced the U.S. had reached a trade deal with Vietnam, in which goods from the country will receive a 20% tariff, with 40% for goods that pass through Vietnam from other countries like China. July 3 Bessent told Bloomberg TV there are likely to be a 'flurry' of deals made before the July 9 deadline and that approximately 100 countries would receive a 10% tariff rate on their goods, which Reuters notes would be fewer than the number of countries that were slated to get 10% tariffs before the 90-day pause. Trump told reporters he would start sending out letters Friday to other countries imposing new tariff rates, which he said would range from 'maybe 60 or 70% tariffs' to '10 or 20%'—suggesting he could pose significantly higher tariff rates for some countries than what he first proposed on 'Liberation Day,' when rates maxed out at 50% (flip-flop No. 24). The president also suggested countries would have to start paying their new tariff rates on August 1 'in pretty much all cases,' rather than when the 90-day pause is set to expire July 9. July 6 Trump announced on Truth Social his administration would start sending 'letters and/or deals' on tariffs to other countries starting at noon the following day, pushing back the timeline after he previously promised they would start being sent on July 4 (flip-flop No. 25). The president also threatened additional 10% tariffs on 'any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS'—referring to the bloc that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran—as the organization decried Trump's tariffs at its summit in Brazil (flip-flop No. 26). July 7 Trump formally extended the deadline for his 'Liberation Day' tariffs until Aug. 1, after sending out letters to 14 countries imposing new tariff rates starting that day if they don't negotiate a trade deal with the Trump administration (flip-flop No. 27). Around the time of the announcement, the president wouldn't rule out that the deadline could be extended again, however, telling reporters that evening that the Aug. 1 date was 'firm, but not 100% firm.' July 8 Trump doubled down on the Aug. 1 date and took a much stronger stance than the day before, writing on Truth Social 'there will be no change' to that date and saying, 'In other words, all money will be due and payable starting AUGUST 1, 2025 - No extensions will be granted' (flip-flop No. 28). Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We're launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day's headlines. Text 'Alerts' to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here . Trump's frequent flip-flopping on tariffs—and taking rates down after the markets get spooked—has earned him the nickname of 'TACO Trump' on Wall Street, which stands for 'Trump always chickens out.' Trump has called the nickname 'nasty' and White House spokesperson Kush Desai decried it as 'asinine' in a statement to The Washington Post. The moniker and belief that Trump will back off his worst tariff threats has stuck around, however, with Deutsche Bank strategists raising their forecasts in June for the S&P 500 index based on the belief Trump has 'already relented' on tariffs and there will be 'further relents' in the future. The stock market had a muted response to Trump's new round of tariff letters largely because of the president's tendency to back off his tariff threats, Wall Street analysts suggested Tuesday, with IG Group chief market analyst Chris Beauchamp calling the latest tariff rollout a 'damp squib.' 'Rightly or wrongly, investors think they know what happens from here,' Beauchamp wrote. 'Either negotiations result, and a 'deal' of some sort (usually in the vaguest terms) is announced, allowing Trump to claim a win, or a fresh extension to the deadline is announced.' 'You know, if I set a number, a ridiculous high number, and I go down a little bit, a little bit, they want me to hold that number,' Trump told reporters in May as he railed against the 'TACO Trump' name and the suggestion he was 'chickening out' by lowering tariff rates. Referring to the 145% tariff rate previously in place on Chinese goods, Trump continued, 'You know, 145% tariff, even I said, 'Man, that really got up … Whoa, that's high. That's high.'' Two courts have already ruled that Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs are unlawful and the president exceeded his authority by imposing them. The tariffs remain in place, however, as appeals courts then put those rulings on hold while the litigation plays out. The appeals court is scheduled to hold oral arguments on July 31 on the most sweeping lawsuit over the tariffs, so there won't be any changes to the tariffs' legality before that date. Plaintiffs in one of the lawsuits over the tariffs asked the Supreme Court to take up the issue on an urgent timeline, requesting that justices hear oral arguments over the tariffs' legality as soon as their next term begins, or even sooner. The court rejected that request, however, so while it's still possible the Supreme Court will ultimately decide whether Trump's tariffs are legal, they won't be doing so within the coming months. It's ultimately still unclear what the tariff rates will look like when the extended pause ends on Aug. 1—even for countries that receive letters from the Trump administration imposing new tariff rates, as the president wrote in the letters that their rates are subject to change 'depending on our relationship with your Country.' Many of the countries that Trump targeted have vowed to continue negotiations in hopes of securing a better rate before Aug. 1. The trade deals also aren't expected to completely get rid of tariffs on any country, as Lutnick claimed after the trade deal with the U.K. was announced that for countries that have trade deficits with the U.S., 'The best they can do is 10%—most likely they'll be higher.' While Trump has threatened tariffs on iPhones and EU goods, it remains to be seen if those will take effect and how long they'll stay in effect, and whether more goods could be either tariffed or exempted from the tariffs. No tariffs have yet been imposed on critical imports like semiconductors, as Lutnick and Trump claimed would be implemented, but they still could impose them in the future. Democratic lawmakers have asked the Trump administration to exempt baby products from its tariffs, which Bessent testified was 'under consideration.' Democrats have decried the constant changes in Trump's tariff policy, which they argue further harm the economy. 'The White House has no idea what it's doing on tariffs and keeps flip flopping. Lutnick now says the tariff exemptions on, for example iPhones, are temporary. Why even do an exemption if you're going to reverse it soon?' Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., said on X on April 13. 'The White House 'has no strategy, and is rapidly losing credibility.' Trump has long touted tariffs as a cornerstone of his policy agenda, making them a centerpiece of his campaign and repeatedly pledging to put them in effect. His flip-flopping on the 'Liberation Day' tariffs comes after Trump previously shifted his stance in how he handled tariffs on Mexico and Canada, initially announcing hours after his inauguration that he would impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico on Feb. 1, which briefly took effect before he ultimately paused them for 30 days on Feb. 3. The tariffs then took effect again on March 4, though Trump later paused tariffs on automobiles and exempted many products from the tariffs on March 6. Trump has charged forward with his tariff plans despite longstanding warnings from economists that doing so would raise prices for American consumers and harm the economy, which have played out as the tariffs have taken effect, roiling the stock market and leading economic experts to warn of a looming recession.
