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ORLANDO - Move over Parisian. Make way for McRae's.
Saks Inc., the Birmingham, Ala.-based department store giant, is making over two of its Central Florida locations this week. Parisian, a higher-end department store concept, is being replaced with a more affordable line named McRae's.
Rooted in Southern tradition and more family-friendly than its predecessor, McRae's is opening in the West Oaks Mall in Ocoee and the Seminole Towne Center in Sanford on Sept. 23. Grand openings for both stores are scheduled for Oct. 6.
One retail expert believes the face lift signals a significant departure by Saks.
"The company doesn't consider (McRae's) destinations, and they don't draw mall traffic, so they might be abandoning that (Parisian) for a more realistic demographic," says Katherine Galligan, an analyst with the Dallas-based equity research firm Aperion Group.
To complete the transformation, Saks in...