Major Luxury Department Store Chain To Keep FL Store Open: Report

SARASOTA, FL — The parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue reversed course this week, saying it won't close the store located in The Mall at University Town Center in Sarasota, according to a report.

Last month, Saks Global said it planned to close an additional 15 Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus locations, including Saks Fifth Avenue in Sarasota.

The announcement came just weeks after the company said it would shutter nine locations, including eight Saks Fifth Avenue stores and one Neiman Marcus store.

However, Saks Global confirmed this week that the UTC store had been granted a reprieve, according to a statement the company emailed to ABC7.

“We are pleased to share that our Saks Fifth Avenue Sarasota store will remain open following recent productive conversations with our landlords and further evaluation,” the company said. "We look forward to continuing to serve customers in the Sarasota community."

Florida Saks Fifth Avenue stores in Bal Harbour, Boca Raton, Miami, Naples and Palm Beach Gardens are expected to remain open, as are the Neiman Marcus locations in Boca Raton, Coral Gables, Orlando and Tampa.

Saks Global has been shrinking its business since it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January. In February, it said it would wind down 14 standalone Fifth Avenue Club personal styling suites, keeping three.

It also shuttered home goods retailer Horchow.com, a business that Neiman Marcus acquired in the late 1980s. As of Feb. 19, shoppers have been redirected to the home category on NeimanMarcus.com.

Additionally, the company is closing down all but 12 of its Saks Off Fifth locations. The remaining outlets will serve primarily as a selling channel for residual inventory from Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.