Kohl's, JCPenney, and Saks Walk Into the Holidays Needing a Miracle, While Macy's Just Walks In
Three department-store chains get one more shot at proving they belong in the conversation, and the competition isn't waiting around.
Kohl's, JCPenney, and Saks Fifth Avenue are all heading into the holidays with something to prove, and not much room left to prove it. Kohl's keeps bleeding sales, JCPenney's turnaround has stalled out, and Saks is operating a visibly smaller footprint after parent company Saks Global, now rebranded Exemplar Luxury Group, clawed its way out of bankruptcy.
Meanwhile, the department-store chains actually performing well this year, Dillard's, Macy's, Bloomingdale's, and Nordstrom, are proving the format itself isn't the problem. The issue is execution, and holiday season is the one stretch of the calendar where a struggling retailer can't hide behind "we're rebuilding."
None of these three chains is dying this quarter. But a weak holiday for any of them hands ammunition to the people arguing department stores are a dying format, while a strong one buys another year of patience from investors and landlords alike. That's a lot of weight to put on gift wrap and markdowns, but that's retail in late 2026.
Source: Retail Dive
Kyle Duford, Founder & Editor, BRNDWIRE. More from Kyle →
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