Morgan Stanley evaluated the impact on Brunello Cucinelli (BIT:BC) after Saks Global announced further store closures on Friday, March 6. The bank concluded the Italian luxury brand can handle the new cuts, which it said touch only a small fraction of Brunello Cucinelli’s U.S. sales volume.
In its estimate, Morgan Stanley identified four of the 12 newly announced Saks Fifth Avenue closures as affecting Brunello Cucinelli. Earlier announcements in February had already included one Saks Fifth Avenue and one Neiman Marcus location that the firm said involved the brand.
The firm quantified Brunello Cucinelli’s overall exposure to Saks Global at roughly 6.5% of sales tied to the group. That figure breaks down to about 3.3% coming through approximately 14 Saks Fifth Avenue doors, 0.8% through Bergdorf Goodman, and 2.5% through roughly 16 Neiman Marcus stores. Morgan Stanley also noted this exposure is uneven across stores, with certain flagship locations - for example, Saks’ Fifth Avenue store in New York City - representing a disproportionately large share of the sales tied to the group.
Morgan Stanley emphasized Brunello Cucinelli’s standing among Saks Global’s brand roster. The bank pointed out the company was ranked as the group’s 14th largest unsecured claim, behind several other major luxury fashion houses. In the bank’s view, Brunello Cucinelli should be able to recoup much of any lost foot traffic as affected customers are likely to shift their purchases to other nearby stores, aided by the brand’s clienteling efforts and existing customer loyalty.
Saks Global’s CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck, who assumed the role in January 2026, has highlighted the concentration of sales within the retailer’s customer and brand mix. In an interview, he said roughly 2% of Saks and Neiman Marcus customers account for about 40% of gross merchandise value. He also noted the top 10 brands contributed more than one-third of sales in the most recent fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2026. Van Raemdonck, who led Neiman Marcus from 2018 to 2024, told Morgan Stanley there is limited overlap between the customer bases of Saks, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.
The latest announcement from Saks Global added 12 Saks Fifth Avenue and three Neiman Marcus locations to the list of closures on March 6. These followed an earlier round in February that included eight Saks Fifth Avenue and one Neiman Marcus store. Morgan Stanley’s analysis places Brunello Cucinelli among the brands likely to be affected by the recent rounds, but views the company’s exposure as manageable given the small percentage of total sales involved and the expectation that clients will reallocate purchases rather than cease buying the brand.
Clear summary - Morgan Stanley believes Brunello Cucinelli can withstand the incremental Saks Global closures because the brand’s direct sales exposure to those stores is limited and concentrated, and client loyalty plus targeted clienteling should help recover displaced spending.