More Grim News For The Luxury Market

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed)
Mar 8th 2008 at 4:02PM

Earlier this week the first quarter statements for two of the biggest luxury retailers, Saks and Neiman's, reported a healthy status but both aren't seeing as many shoppers as usual. For February, Saks enjoyed a small, little bump in revenue as sales rose 3.4 %, but Neimans dropped 7.3.% after January promotions. Although a recession never seems to affect the uber-affluent who will continue to shop for premium luxury items, the economic woes of late may make the aspiring customer hesitate until the market turns back around. I think its impressive how much internet buying adds to the bottom line -- last quarter Neiman's online sales were $180 million, up almost 16%! Both retailers are finding every opportunity they can to cut costs and provide items that will appeal to their customers, such as specialty items and certain must-have colors. Maybe they aren't enjoying the crowds of yesteryear but they aren't in any real pain yet...

Tags: economy, luxury-market, neiman-marcus, saks, saks-fifth-avenue