Hudson Bay Co.'s CEO Won't Confirm Saks at Brookfield Place

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In a lengthy interview with WWD concerning the future of Saks Fifth Avenue, Hudson Bay Co.'s CEO Richard Baker declined to discuss rumors of a downtown flagship at Brookfield Place.

However, the paper prefaced his refusal to comment with this: "A decision on whether Saks opens a second Manhattan store will be made soon. Talks are ongoing with Brookfield Place on Vesey Street in lower Manhattan." So maybe it's not official, but that sounds pretty definitive.

As for Manhattan's first Saks Off Fifth location that's supposedly opening nearby—namely, the Brooks Brothers location on Liberty Street—neither Baker nor WWD made that as clear. The paper said he would "like to open" a downtown location, but didn't specify any discussions.

However, Baker discussed how he'd like Off Fifth to compete more directly with off-price retailers like Nordstrom Rack and TJ Maxx—and, presumably Century 21, which has a massive store in that neighborhood.
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