Macy's announces new round of closings

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Re: Macy's announces new round of closings

Post by CalItalian »

klkla wrote: January 10th, 2018, 6:11 pm
CalItalian wrote: January 10th, 2018, 12:53 am The Pavilions, at the time, was quite nice and large (and had business). It had a pharmacy, too. No other Vons or later Pavilions had a pharmacy at that time until the Pavilions Culver City and later Vons Santa Monica (rebuild after the '94 earthquake destroyed the Safeway) each opened with a pharmacy. It was rebranded as a Pavilions just shortly after the Pavilions chain was started.
It depends on what your definition of 'had business' is. I worked for the company at that time and it was averaging around $250K a week which was subpar, especially considering how expensive the rent was. I don't think the store ever made a profit as a Vons or Pavilions.

Almost all original Pavilions had pharmacies in 1988 when they took over Safeway. Even some of the Pavilions Places already had pharmacies at that time.

The new store in Santa Monica had been planned for years before the Northridge earthquake. They had to buy out other property owners on the block. The original store was in the 10,000 sq. ft. range and was built in the 1940's.
The Vons stores on the Westside, which are still small, do not have pharmacies to this day with the exception of three: the Vons on Broadway in Santa Monica (which was not in the Safeway it replaced), Pavilions in Culver City and more recently the rebuilt Pavilions in West Hollywood (which didn't as a Safeway). The Pavilions on Wilshire & Stoner, now closed, also had a pharmacy and of all Vons locations I have ever been in had the least business by far. The Westside Pavilion was required to give below market rent for Vons - actually the same rent they paid at the location that was torn down. I know, I was at the city meeting when this agreed upon in 1982. That was one of the requirements to build the mall.
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Re: Macy's announces new round of closings

Post by klkla »

CalItalian wrote: January 10th, 2018, 11:34 pmThe Vons stores on the Westside, which are still small, do not have pharmacies to this day with the exception of three: the Vons on Broadway in Santa Monica (which was not in the Safeway it replaced), Pavilions in Culver City and more recently the rebuilt Pavilions in West Hollywood (which didn't as a Safeway). The Pavilions on Wilshire & Stoner, now closed, also had a pharmacy and of all Vons locations I have ever been in had the least business by far.
The West Hollywood Safeway absolutley had a pharmacy. It opened in 1985 and was in fact the most profitable pharmacy in the division (because it was mostly cash transactions and not reliant on insurance companies).

Wilshire & Stoner store and West Pavilion were about the same in sales. I used to see the report every week. Wilshire/Stoner had a lower customer count but much higher average transaction amount. Both stores ultimately failed for the same reason: parking.
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Re: Macy's announces new round of closings

Post by CalItalian »

klkla wrote: January 11th, 2018, 1:49 pm
CalItalian wrote: January 10th, 2018, 11:34 pmThe Vons stores on the Westside, which are still small, do not have pharmacies to this day with the exception of three: the Vons on Broadway in Santa Monica (which was not in the Safeway it replaced), Pavilions in Culver City and more recently the rebuilt Pavilions in West Hollywood (which didn't as a Safeway). The Pavilions on Wilshire & Stoner, now closed, also had a pharmacy and of all Vons locations I have ever been in had the least business by far.
The West Hollywood Safeway absolutley had a pharmacy. It opened in 1985 and was in fact the most profitable pharmacy in the division (because it was mostly cash transactions and not reliant on insurance companies).

Wilshire & Stoner store and West Pavilion were about the same in sales. I used to see the report every week. Wilshire/Stoner had a lower customer count but much higher average transaction amount. Both stores ultimately failed for the same reason: parking.
Not a chance on the Wilshire and Stoner Pavilions having the same sales at the Westside Pavilion Pavilions. For over 2 years, there was NEVER - and I mean NEVER not at any time of any day - more than one checkout lane open at the Wilshire and Stoner location before it closed. That never happened to the Westside Pavilions location.

As for the West Hollywood Safeway, the store opened well before 1985. It was enlarged at that point and became a Pavilions Place after Vons took it over.
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Re: Macy's announces new round of closings

Post by CalItalian »

For the record, the Westside Pavilion Macy's Furniture Store is NOT closing. Although the mall is up for sale, rumored to be closing, will be without any anchor stores and the adjacent Macy's is already liquidating, the furniture store is staying open.
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Re: Macy's announces new round of closings

Post by klkla »

CalItalian wrote: January 13th, 2018, 12:07 amNot a chance on the Wilshire and Stoner Pavilions having the same sales at the Westside Pavilion Pavilions. For over 2 years, there was NEVER - and I mean NEVER not at any time of any day - more than one checkout lane open at the Wilshire and Stoner location before it closed. That never happened to the Westside Pavilions location.
I saw the numbers on a regular basis. You didn't.
CalItalian wrote: January 13th, 2018, 12:07 am
As for the West Hollywood Safeway, the store opened well before 1985. It was enlarged at that point and became a Pavilions Place after Vons took it over.
West Hollywood has had a pharmacy for 33 years.
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Re: Macy's announces new round of closings

Post by SamSpade »

CalItalian wrote: January 10th, 2018, 12:39 am
pseudo3d wrote: January 5th, 2018, 8:55 pm
storewanderer wrote: January 5th, 2018, 7:02 pm Macy's seems to be tanking very fast. I have no idea how they eeked out the same store sales gain they eeked out, but I am shocked they did based on how my local store looked. In all of my years, this year, I have never seen Macy's so messy, poorly merchandised, and junkily merchandised. It looked so poorly maintained and dirty in the store I thought I was in JC Penney. But actually, JC Penney looked better than the local Macy's did all holiday season...
I went to a Macy's sometime this fall but sorry, JCPenney was still worse overall last December. No associates in sight (literally none except at the counters), paint peeling in the dressing rooms (no attendants and clothing strewn everywhere), and my personal favorite, a mannequin with bloody fingerprints for eyes (seen to be believed, but we'll save that for another thread).
I was in a number of Macy's and JCPenney locations during the holidays. The best JCPenney I was in was Northridge (San Fernando Valley). Not only do they have appliances but this location also added tv's and mattresses. I was actually impressed. But when it comes to clothes, they were pretty bad. The worst is how messy the clothing areas of the store was. It did have one of the best licensed sports merchandise areas in any department store, including Macy's with Lids, that I have seen at the beginning of the holiday season. But, they didn't get additional shipments to replenish and it looked pretty bad the last two weeks before Chrismtas. This location also does not have a price check scanner. I asked where one was and an associate said said go to the front of the line and we'll price any item for you anytime. No thanks.

Macy's locations depends on the store. Best maintained store BY FAR is the new Century City (Los Angeles) location that opened April 2017. Valley Fair (Santa Clara) looked pretty good around Thanksgiving but two days before Christmas it was trashed.

The one Macy's location I really don't understand is the Westfield Culver City (Fox Hills Mall). It's a former The Broadway. I've always hated the mens department there even going back to the days when it was The Broadway (small, occupies about half of the first floor of three floors). Although the area has gentrified quite dramatically over the years, it use to cater to primarily an African-American clientle, the area is now quite mixed with Latinos outnumbering blacks. But the mens department still caters, almost exclusively, to blacks. The merchandise does not reflect the Westside at all and traffic was light even on days near Christmas. On the contrary, the women's department is great and appeals to everyone.
Visiting Los Angeles this weekend and I'd like to add that the downtown Macy's in "The BLOC" is actually looking really nice on its plaza, first, and 2nd levels. The third level has a standard but well merchandised furniture gallery but the store clearly stopped spending money on the remodel at that level. Children's wear and the ceilings on this floor are still grungy and dark like the old store was.

The first level was packed with shoppers today and had enough (and friendly) employees with quality selection. If only they could make their small town stores something like this. . . they might have something.

I noticed that Thalia has managed to up her standards to Macy's from KMart. How far Sears Holdings has fallen. . .
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Re: Macy's announces new round of closings

Post by Brian Lutz »

This weekend I passed by Everett Mall, and saw that the fomer Macy's there (one of the ones that closed earlier this year) had construction work underway. From the mall's signs, it appears that this is being turned into a Floor & Decor store.
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Re: Macy's announces new round of closings

Post by Super S »

Absolutely nothing has happened with the Kelso store since it closed. The Three Rivers Mall has lost most of their interior mall national chain tenants, and the Macy's wing is empty save for a couple of part-time local shops.

I am curious what will happen here as Longview-Kelso is seeing increasing housing prices as people move north as they are priced out of the Portland-Vancouver market. Seems like a Kohl's could be a good fit for the mall. But bringing in Sportsman's Warehouse and a new theater didn't seem to help the rest of the mall at all.
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Re: Macy's announces new round of closings

Post by babs »

Super S wrote: July 13th, 2018, 9:28 am Absolutely nothing has happened with the Kelso store since it closed. The Three Rivers Mall has lost most of their interior mall national chain tenants, and the Macy's wing is empty save for a couple of part-time local shops.

I am curious what will happen here as Longview-Kelso is seeing increasing housing prices as people move north as they are priced out of the Portland-Vancouver market. Seems like a Kohl's could be a good fit for the mall. But bringing in Sportsman's Warehouse and a new theater didn't seem to help the rest of the mall at all.
Sorry to say it but that mall is not coming back. It's more likely to be demolished and replaced by power center with a mix of uses. It's a good location but the population is way too small for a mall and the days when national chains were opening up stores in such locations is over.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/bu ... 683158002/
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Re: Macy's announces new round of closings

Post by Super S »

babs wrote: July 13th, 2018, 10:49 am
Super S wrote: July 13th, 2018, 9:28 am Absolutely nothing has happened with the Kelso store since it closed. The Three Rivers Mall has lost most of their interior mall national chain tenants, and the Macy's wing is empty save for a couple of part-time local shops.

I am curious what will happen here as Longview-Kelso is seeing increasing housing prices as people move north as they are priced out of the Portland-Vancouver market. Seems like a Kohl's could be a good fit for the mall. But bringing in Sportsman's Warehouse and a new theater didn't seem to help the rest of the mall at all.
Sorry to say it but that mall is not coming back. It's more likely to be demolished and replaced by power center with a mix of uses. It's a good location but the population is way too small for a mall and the days when national chains were opening up stores in such locations is over.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/bu ... 683158002/
You're probably right. That did happen with the Triangle Center in Longview which was an enclosed mall. I have been told that the new Regal Cinemas building was designed to be easily converted to a freestanding building in case the mall is redeveloped.

I have heard too many rumors to take anything seriously, but there has to be a point when it's too expensive to operate a huge empty building and it's lighting and HVAC systems. Not to mention the potential security issues. It doesn't really leave a good impression when people are traveling through and see an empty mall though. Something's gotta give eventually.
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