A department store has quietly removed the word “Christmas” from its iconic gift catalogue, with workers blaming the change on “woke politics”.
For the first time, Neiman Marcus has renamed its 98-year-old ‘Christmas Book’ gift catalog to ‘Holiday Book.’
The retailer had previously stated, following the Covid-19 pandemic, that the “Christmas Book is a tradition” and something shoppers should look forward to.
‘Christmas is a time of celebration and our Christmas Book is about celebration. “It’s part of our heritage and if you look back at our history, our founders and our brand, we’ve always been very strong on belonging and inclusion,” said Neiman Marcus chief marketing officer Daz McColl. Forbes in 2021.
For the first time, department store Neiman Marcus has renamed its 98-year-old ‘Christmas Book’ gift catalog to the ‘Holiday Book.’
And he added: ‘The title of our book is not exclusive in any way. It’s part of our tradition.’
This year, however, attitudes toward the catalog tradition seem to have changed.
A spokesperson for the retailer said The Dallas Morning News: “In a spirit of inclusivity, welcomes customers of all backgrounds, religions and traditions to celebrate the season.”
Seasoned employees inside the retailer’s Dallas headquarters, amid the brand’s restructuring, have expressed to the New York Post that the 117-year history of Neiman Marcus is being erased with the breaking of a tradition that has lasted almost 20 years after its launch.
Neiman Marcus CEO Geoffroy Van Raemdonck has received a lot of criticism from seasoned employees for changes within the brand, including job losses.
The older issues of the ‘Christmas Book’ were adorned with Christmas-style images and colors; This year the change in Christmas influence is noticeable not only by the name change, but also by the cover.
A spokesperson for the retailer said: “In a spirit of inclusivity, it welcomes customers from all backgrounds, religions and traditions to celebrate the season.”
They are also pointing the finger at CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck, who last year announced that five percent of the workforce would be cut despite record cash bonuses in the previous two years.
‘If Geoffroy and his team spent as much time running the business as they did expressing views on DEI, we would buy Saks or launch an IPO. Instead, my job is at risk due to the failure of our business,” one employee told the outlet.
Other employees were equally upset after feeling blindsided by the news, saying they found out through a media report.
One said: ‘The book didn’t need a name change. “The personal views on inclusion, from Geoffroy and his leadership team, changed this.”
The subtle, understated change didn’t even appear on the cover of the catalog, which instead of being titled “Vacation Book” reads “Neiman’s Fantasy.”
The images on the front also don’t look like the Christmas period, as they have been before; This issue features a woman on a blue background looking through a golden keyhole and shines on the cover.
Previous issues were adorned with red, green, and gold Christmas colors, or Christmas images, such as gifts, antlers, sleighs, or Santa Claus.
One employee said: ‘We found out through the Dallas Morning News article. The book did not need a name change. The personal views on inclusion, from Geoffroy and his leadership team, changed this.
‘Christmas is a time of celebration and our Christmas Book is about celebration. It is part of our legacy and if you look back at our history, our founders and our brand, we have always been very strong on belonging and inclusion,” Daz McColl had said previously in 2021.
The catalog is well known for its variety of extravagant and luxury gifts. In an announcement about the new 2024 catalog, the brand did not acknowledge the name change.
‘This year’s holiday campaign and activation is an invitation to embrace the magic of Neiman Marcus. The narrative was inspired by theatrical traditions and folklore during the period when the brand was founded,” brand director Nabil Aliffi said, according to the statement.
The release further stated that the catalog would “evoke boundless optimism and childlike wonder for the holiday season” inspired by fables, fairy tales and folklore, which the “Holiday Book” expands on.
Employees across the brand believe their jobs are at risk, including the CEO.
Workers have said the move appears to be “one last hurray for Geoffroy” before the brand closes a $2.65 billion deal with Saks Fifth Avenue owner HBC, which is expected to be completed by the end of the fiscal year. .
