Luxury retailer Neiman Marcus files for bankruptcy

The luxury department store chain Neiman Marcus filed for bankruptcy on Thursday, the second major retailer after J.Crew to seek reorganization this week as the industry buckles under widespread store closures.

“Like most businesses today, we are facing unprecedented disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has placed inexorable pressure on our business,” said Geoffroy van Raemdonck, chairman and CEO of Neiman Marcus Group, in a statement.

The Dallas-based chain filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division. It has secured $675 million in financing to get it through its reorganization.

The luxury store chain, which operates 43 Neiman Marcus stores, 22 Last Call stores and two Bergdorf Goodman stores, has been burdened with nearly $5 billion in debt in part due to two leveraged buyouts in less than 10 years.

The company has clothed some of the world's wealthiest people in runway brands from Alexander McQueen to Chanel. Founded in 1907 by Stanley Marcus, it aimed to bring Parisian fashion taste to America’s upper echelons. Its department stores were filled with shining $30,000 Rolex watches, $12,000 Tom Ford clutches and $90,000 fur coats. The retailer is known for its glossy Christmas catalog of excessive fantasy gifts, and once featured a $7 million yacht.

But consumer behaviors have changed with the advent of online shopping and value shopping. Leading up to the pandemic, the company saw sales and revenue tumble as competition increased for its luxury consumer base. Neiman Marcus reported a loss of $31.2 million in July, compared with a net loss of $19.9 million the previous year.

Market conditions have been brutal for the retail industry over the last several weeks. Like other retailers, Neiman Marcus stores have been closed since mid-March as state governors issued stay-at-home orders to stem infections. The company furloughed almost all of its 14,000 employees on March 30. Stores will be temporarily closed through May 31, the company said.

The company expects to emerge from bankruptcy in early Fall 2020.

“We will emerge a far stronger company,” said van Raemdonck. “In a world that is changing, we are uniquely positioned to give our brand partners access to our loyal luxury customers like no other company.”