The owner of Saks Fifth Avenue named Marigay McKee, chief merchant at London-based Harrods, as the new president of the New York luxury retailer.
As The Post exclusively reported on Monday, UK-based McKee had topped a list of candidates, including Jim Gold of Neiman Marcus, Tony Spring of Bloomingdale’s and Brendan Hoffman of Bon-Ton Stores.
The brilliant fashion buyer, who will replace outgoing president Ron Frasch, will take the helm at Saks in December following shareholder approval of the company’s $2.4 billion acquisition by Canadian retailer Hudson’s Bay Co.
Richard Baker, the New York property tycoon who controls Hudson’s Bay, said McKee is “an effective world-class leader in the international luxury retail space,” according to a statement Monday that confirmed The Post’s story.
Baker, who also controls the Lord & Taylor stores, tapped McKee partly because he believes “Saks is a store for women” that could thrive under a woman’s leadership, sources said.
There are big changes in store for Saks as Baker pours money into overhauling the swank retailer.
Frasch, a former president of Bergdorf Goodman who is credited with bringing top European labels to Saks, is leaving the company along with CEO Steve Sadove, who won’t be replaced.