Saks Fifth Avenue is ending its holiday light show tradition. Here's what it's doing instead. - CBS New York

Nov 13, 2024

By Renee Anderson, Jenna DeAngelis

Updated on: November 12, 2024 / 6:22 PM EST / CBS New York

NEW YORK -- Saks Fifth Avenue says its holiday light show, a popular New York City tradition, is coming to an end.

For years, the department store has attracted visitors with dazzling lights at its flagship store in Midtown, Manhattan.

But Saks is taking a new approach this season, focusing instead on holiday windows and fashion.

"In our 100th year, which also marks the anniversary of the flagship, we are celebrating the season by honoring the architectural significance of this iconic building, elegantly illuminating the facade and framing the holiday windows, as well as highlighting the fashion for which Saks Fifth Avenue is known," a spokesperson said in a statement Monday.

Some New Yorkers said it was unwelcome news.

"That's terrible," said Joe Defeo, of Brooklyn. "That's a tradition, everyone comes to town to see it."

"It's always a nice show. It brightens up the avenue," Brooklyn resident Shane Williams said. "For it not to happen this year, it's a downer."

"You have the tree, you have the Rockettes and then you have the Saks lighting," Midtown resident Lexi Barten said. "I moved here in January, so this would have been my first. I was looking forward to it."

"I was shocked. I was dumbfounded. I could not believe. It's such a classic New York City Christmas event," added Katie Dalesandro, who works in Midtown.

The change comes at a time when department stores are struggling to keep up with competition from online retailers.

"The timing of it is very interesting, because other retailers are going to be really investing in their décor this year to bring foot traffic back," smart shopping expert Trae Bodge told CBS News New York. "For Saks to make this decision right now, I think it's problematic."

"If Saks has made this decision as a financial decision, they've forgotten what the core of their sales is, which is customer service. It's the client experience," said Parag Amin, founder of her self-named law office. "It's a mistake. It's the 100th year anniversary for Saks Fifth Avenue. People are expecting it to be a a great spectacle."

Saks said it will debut its holiday windows later this month.

"To reiterate, we have contemplated changing our approach to the holiday windows for some time. Further, we acknowledged that it has been a challenging year for luxury, and, like others, we are carefully managing our business to ensure the company is best-positioned for the future," a spokespersons told CBS News New York in a follow-up statement Tuesday.

The flagship store is located across from the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, which just arrived in the city over the weekend.

Renee Anderson is a digital producer at CBS New York, where she covers breaking news and other local stories. Before joining the team in 2016, Renee worked at WMUR-TV.

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