The department store chain Macy’s is to stop selling fur by early 2021, making it the biggest US retailer to ban the controversial product.

The move is seen as a big win for animal rights activists but opponents in the fur industry say the ban could create a black market.

The retailer and its subsidiaries including Bloomingdales, with 680 stores across 43 states, is the latest in a growing band of businesses bowing to pressure to stop stocking fur.

Stores JC Penney and Sears, plus brands including Prada, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Michael Kors and Burberry, have already stopped selling or using real fur. Macy’s is seen as a coup because of its size; last year it saw sales of nearly $25bn.

Macy’s chairman and CEO Jeff Gennette said that over the past two years the company has been following consumer trends, listening to customers and non-governmental groups such as the Humane Society of the United States, with which it has recently partnered.