Saks Fifth Avenue to stop selling animal fur products

Saks Fifth Avenue says it will stop selling animal fur products by the end of the 2022 fiscal year both online and in stores.

The luxury department store chain said in a statement that under the new policy, it will “no longer offer products from animals raised for the use of their fur, including but not limited to mink, fox, chinchilla and sable, as well as fur products derived from wild animals, such as coyote and beaver.”

The change will happen with a phased approach, starting with closing fur salons by the end of fiscal 2021 and eliminating products sold by brand partners by the end of fiscal 2022, the store said.

It will continue to sell shearling, goatskin, cattle hide, down, feathers, leather and faux fur products.

“We evaluate a number of factors when making decisions about our assortment, including customer preferences and societal shifts,” said Saks Fifth Avenue Chief Merchandising Officer Tracy Margolies in a press release on Wednesday. “We recognize that trends constantly evolve, and that the sale of fur remains a significant social issue.”

Saks Fifth Avenue joins a growing list of stores going fur-free. Nordstrom announced in September 2020 that it would stop selling fur by the end of 2021. In October 2019, Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s announced that it would stop selling fur in 2021.

And in 2018, Coach pledged to stop using real mink, fox, coyote and rabbit fur in its products by 2019.