Neiman Marcus employees have accused the luxury U.S. department retailer of going woke after it quietly removed the word “Christmas” from its nearly-century-old gift catalogue.
The store’s “Christmas Book” began as a 16-page booklet in 1926 but this year’s print guide has been updated to “Holiday Book,” irking longtime staffers at the Dallas-based company, the New York Post reported.
Neiman Marcus was acquired by Hudson’s Bay Co. this past summer for $2.65 billion US.
The retail chain has reportedly gone through heavy restructuring and layoffs under CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck and many feel this is more unneeded change for the iconic store.
“If Geoffroy and his team put as much time into running the business as they did on expressing viewpoints about DEI, we would be buying Saks or launching an IPO,” one employee told the Post. “Instead, my job is at risk because of our business failure.”
Following the pandemic, the retailer stated that the “Christmas Book is tradition” and something shoppers could look forward to.
“Christmas is a time of celebration and our Christmas Book is about celebrating,” the retailer’s chief marketing officer Daz McColl told Forbes in 2021.
“It’s part our legacy and if you look back at our history, our founders and our brand, we’ve always been very strong about belonging and inclusion.”
He insisted: “The title of our book is not exclusionary in any way. It’s part of our tradition.”
But that tradition appears to have changed.
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“In the spirit of inclusivity as it welcomes customers of all backgrounds, religions and traditions to celebrate the season,” a spokesperson for Neiman Marcus told the Dallas Morning News.
One employee told the Post that they learned of the change from the Dallas Morning News article.
“The book didn’t need a name change,” they complained. “Personal opinions about inclusion — from Geoffroy and his leadership team — changed this.”
The catalogue itself doesn’t even have “Holiday Book” on its cover; rather, it only shows this year’s seasonal marketing slogan, “A Neiman’s Fantasy,” according to the publication.
While many employees fear possible job losses, they also believe some of the current management team will be out as well — including its CEO.
The employee added: “We do feel that this was a last hurrah for Geoffroy.”