Lord & Taylor to be relaunched as online discount luxury retailer

Iconic department store chain Lord & Taylor is set to make a comeback.

Regal Brands Global, the new owner of the 198-year-old retailer, plans to relaunch the business as a discount luxury e-commerce platform in 2025, offering designer goods and Lord & Taylor-branded products, Business of Fashion reported Friday.

The online store will reportedly source inventory from distributors and sell a variety of products manufactured by licensees, and shoppers can expect offerings in categories like womenswear, footwear, small leather goods and special occasion dresses, according to Business of Fashion.

Regal Brands' Chief Brand and Strategy Officer Sina Yenel told the outlet the company envisions the revitalized brand as a destination for quality and variety.

"My idea is to put all these master manufacturers behind the brand to create many different products," Yenel told Business of Fashion.

Regal Brands Global acquired the Lord & Taylor intellectual property in September 2024 after its previous owner, Saadia Group -- which had previously relaunched the chain as an e-commerce website in 2021 -- ceased operations earlier this year. The brand now will focus on off-price retailing and licensing rather than reentering the brick-and-mortar space, a move Yenel believes aligns with current retail trends.

"We're leaving the brick-and-mortar game to those big players who are already on the market," Yenel told Business of Fashion.

Instead of operating its own stores, Regal Brands reportedly aims to position Lord & Taylor products in high-end retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom. These strategies reflect the rise of successful off-price models, as seen with retailers such as TJ Maxx.

Founded in 1826, Lord & Taylor became a household name in womenswear throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. However, the department store struggled in recent decades due to e-commerce disruption and shifting consumer preferences. By 2020, after several ownership changes, the brand had shuttered all remaining stores amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, under Regal Brands Global, Lord & Taylor hopes to reclaim relevance through a dual approach of online sales and licensed products. The company has reportedly already secured multiple licensing agreements and plans to bring Lord & Taylor-branded goods to stores by early 2025.

ABC News reached out to Regal Brands for comment on the relaunch news but did not immediately receive a response.