BRONX W www.BXTimes.com EEKLY August 18, 2019 6
Saks OFF 5TH leaving Bay Plaza location after 2-year stint
FREE
Saks OFF 5TH will close its doors at the end of October after just two years. Steven Goodstein / Schneps Media
FREE
All citizens that need help for FREE CDL TRAINING & JOB PLACEMENT. Come visit us. We can HELP YOU!
You May Be Eligible
TRACKTOR-TRAILER BUS TRUCKS CARS
VETERANS CALL FOR APPOINTMENT 1 - 8 0 0 - 2 3 5 - 7 7 3 7 VETERANS CALL FOR APPOINTMENT
CAR DRIVERS POSITIONS AVAILABLE
AL SORANO’S PROFESSIONAL
TRUCK DRIVING SCHOOL
1059 GUN HILL ROAD, BRONX, NY 10469
718-547-3000
BY STEVEN GOODSTEIN
In a bit of a shocking twist, a
fairly new retail tenant will be
closing its location at the Bay
Plaza Shopping Center.
Just two years after taking
over longtime Bay Plaza tenant
Barnes & Noble’s location, it was
recently announced that Saks
OFF 5TH, a premium outlet and
subsidiary unit of Saks Fifth Avenue,
will close its only Bronx
store at the end of October.
Saks OFF 5TH, which held its
grand opening ceremony in August
2017, took over the location at
290 Baychester Avenue after bookseller
chain Barnes & Noble called
the Bay Plaza Shopping Center its
home for more than 15 years.
The store closure is part of a
plan by Saks to close up to 20 of its
Saks OFF 5TH stores by the end of
2019.
“Retail is strong in the Bronx
and at the Bay Plaza Shopping
Center, but it is to our understanding
that Saks OFF 5TH will be
closing a number of (its) stores,”
said a spokesperson from Prestige
Properties & Development
Company, which owns the shopping
center.
Prestige Properties would not
comment further regarding a
potential tenant to replace Saks
OFF 5TH.
According to Hudson’s Bay
Company, which owns Saks Fifth
Avenue, HBC is performing a review
of its Saks OFF 5TH fl eet
of stores and has confi rmed that
this location is just one of many
anticipated closures.
In total, Saks OFF 5TH has
133 stores in the country, which
means that Saks will be closing
about 15 percent of its SAKS OFF
5TH stores nationwide.
“These decisions are never
easy, but they are the right ones
for the company,” said an HBC
spokesperson. “We are committed
to offering support and assistance
to our team affected by the
closing - all eligible associates
will receive appropriate employment
separation packages and
transfer opportunities will be explored
where feasible.
Barnes N’ Noble, who committed
to a return to the borough
within 24-36 months after
they left the Bay Plaza Shopping
Center in early 2017, could not be
reached for comment as of press
time.
In October 2014, when Barnes
& Noble was originally slated to
close, Borough President Ruben
Diaz, Jr. saved the day at the eleventh
hour, securing a two-year
lease extension after negotiating
a deal with Prestige Properties.
Diaz, Jr. called it “a major victory
for the Bronx.”
Assemblyman Michael Benedetto
also played a role in Barnes
& Noble’s decision to extend their
lease, holding petition drives and
advocating for the bookstore to
stay in the shopping center.
/www.BXTimes.com
/www.BXTimes.com
/www.BXTimes.com
/www.BXTimes.com