Saks Fifth Avenue is removing fur from all its Toronto stores

In a win for animal rights activists everywhere, Saks Fifth Avenue is the latest department store to announce that it will stop selling all products made from animal fur.

The luxury retailer announced the decision to go fur-free this week, outlining plans to close all of its fur salons by the end of fiscal 2021 and to remove all fur products from its inventory using a phased approach by the end of fiscal 2022. 

"Across the Saks Fifth Avenue experience, we evaluate a number of factors when making decisions about our assortment, including customer preferences and societal shifts," said Tracy Margolies, Saks chief merchandising officer, in a statement.

"We recognize that trends constantly evolve, and that the sale of fur remains a significant social issue. As such, eliminating it from our assortment is the right step for us to take at this time."

AMAZING NEWS: Another iconic luxury department store goes fur-free! 🎉@saks has announced that it will stop selling products made using animal fur by the end of 2022. We commend them for recognizing that the future of fashion is #furfree! 👏 pic.twitter.com/t7PYW3yICZ

— The Humane Society of the United States (@HumaneSociety) April 8, 2021

This move includes both brand partner and private label merchandise sold online and in stores across North America, and it applies to the sale of products made from animals that were raised for the use of their fur (such as mink, fox, chinchilla and sable) or those made with fur from wild animals (such as coyote and beaver).

Shearling, goatskin, cattle hide, down, feather, leather and faux fur products will nonetheless continue to be sold.

In October of 2020, members of Fur Free Toronto, a coalition working to "end the atrocities of the fur industry and seek a ban on fur in Toronto," stormed the Yonge Street Saks location and wrapped yellow caution tape around several racks of fur coats. 

"Nordstrom recently announced they are going fur free, France has banned fur farms," said veteran animal rights activist Jenny McQueen following the demonstration. "The fur industry is literally falling apart, we're just here to help Saks with their decision."