Saks Global is attempting to block former Bergdorf Goodman chief merchant Yumi Shin from taking the same role at rival Nordstrom, in a federal lawsuit alleging a host of improprieties and requesting a temporary restraining order.
Shin worked for Bergdorf in New York from October 2018 until October 2025, when she resigned to go to Nordstrom; she was promoted to chief merchandising officer in January 2019, per court documents.
“Saks will be immediately and irreparably harmed if Shin is permitted to begin her new position with Nordstrom,” the company said in a Nov. 25 complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Dallas.
A few days later Shin asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, in part on jurisdictional grounds. She also argues that her agreements with Saks Global, especially following the $2.7 billion acquisition of Bergdorf-owner Neiman Marcus Group, often contradict each other. Shin on Nov. 26 also filed a complaint against Saks Global in the Delaware Chancery Court.
“In a period of just three years, Plaintiffs have drafted and asked Ms. Shin to execute a convoluted series of no less than five contracts to obtain the benefits associated with her position at Bergdorf,” according to her motion to dismiss filed with the federal court in Dallas. “These contracts have inconsistent choice of law and forum provisions.”
The luxury department store giant, which formed about a year ago when the merger deal was finalized, demands that Shin return nearly $50,000 in payouts and accuses her of stealing proprietary information, per court documents.
Saks Global did not immediately return a request for comment. Nordstrom declined to comment. Saks Global, which has watched a series of leaders depart, recently shook up Bergdorf’s merchandising team. Chief Retail Officer Melissa Xides left Bergdorf in late November.
Saks Global argues that Shin’s move “is a direct violation of her contractual non-competition restrictions, and she is doing so in a role that would inevitably require her to use and disclose Saks’ confidential and trade secret business information for the benefit of her new employer.”
It’s difficult to argue that inevitability as, due to various state laws and the minutiae of various agreements, each case around noncompete agreements is unique, according to labor and employment attorney Steven Mitchell Sack. Although judges are often critical of a company preventing an ex-employee from working in their industry, an employee may find it difficult to wiggle out of an agreement.
“Every case is decided on their own facts,” Sack said by phone.
Saks Global’s struggles paying vendors, to the extent they affect an employee’s work or reputation, could be a tangential argument for employees seeking to jump ship, Sack said.
“You could argue they don’t have clean hands,” he said. “But it’s not directly affecting the employee — it’s indirectly affecting them. So I can’t really answer that definitively, but I like the argument.”
Shin is the second high-profile fashion executive to leave Saks Global for Nordstrom. Earlier this year, Beverly Hills-based stylist Catherine Bloom left Neiman Marcus, a move that many analysts saw as a coup for the Seattle-based department store.