Macy's Neighborhood Store Watch

Predicting the demise of Sears & Kmart since 2017!
ClownLoach
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Re: Macy's Neighborhood Store Watch

Post by ClownLoach »

Starting to notice that in some cases where Macy's has two stores in the same mall that both locations are dramatically thinning out their assortment, removing racking, and leaving lots of empty space. In Mission Viejo, CA there is a Women's store and then a Men's/Kids/Furniture store. The Men's store has a newly opened Backstage on the second floor, but that area has now crept out and absorbed more than half of the second floor. Men's suits, shoes and fragrance are being pushed away by the Backstage program. Before it looked like a Store within a Store - now it is just a giant clearance department that has thrown up all over the building. I hate to compare it to Sears before their demise but it looks just like that, sections of wall with all the shelves removed and massive sections of empty floor. It appears that they are shrinking down assortment; I think they will be consolidating the two stores into one building after the holidays. Neither is on this "neighborhood" list. In this area there were four Macy's less than ten years ago and if this happens they will be down to one. I do not get the impression that they will consolidate then reopen one as Bloomingdale's, although it is an upscale area with two nearby Nordstrom stores. Saks Fifth Avenue had a very nice store in the same mall and it never took off, in fact at one point it was open weekends only until they closed it down. It is now a Dicks Sporting Goods. With that shaky luxury history in a "B+" rated mall I do not see them installing a Bloomingdales. I think they will have an empty building by New Year's. Wonder where else this scenario is going to play out?
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Re: Macy's Neighborhood Store Watch

Post by storewanderer »

The Macy's Backstage in the Reno Macy's has also expanded beyond its walls and into what was previously the Women's Clothing Last Act area. It is now filled with toys and other messy looking clutter. This space is shared with various women's clothing (coats and such) on the second floor of the store and looks pretty terrible.

In some malls if Macy's wants to try something and has two anchor buildings they could try with the spare anchor space doing a Macy's Backstage on one floor and a smaller Bloomingdale's on the other floor. That would probably only work in stores where they have a two floor mall and can do two completely separate entrances.
ClownLoach
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Re: Macy's Neighborhood Store Watch

Post by ClownLoach »

storewanderer wrote: August 3rd, 2021, 11:30 pm The Macy's Backstage in the Reno Macy's has also expanded beyond its walls and into what was previously the Women's Clothing Last Act area. It is now filled with toys and other messy looking clutter. This space is shared with various women's clothing (coats and such) on the second floor of the store and looks pretty terrible.

In some malls if Macy's wants to try something and has two anchor buildings they could try with the spare anchor space doing a Macy's Backstage on one floor and a smaller Bloomingdale's on the other floor. That would probably only work in stores where they have a two floor mall and can do two completely separate entrances.
This could happen in this Mission Viejo setup, but the mall is two stories and the store is three stories. If they did a smaller Bloomingdales on the first floor, made the entire second floor Backstage you would have to go through Backstage to get to the third floor and whatever they put up there. Right now it's the furniture store. I just don't see them trying Bloomingdales when clearly that customer has no problem driving up to South Coast Plaza.
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Re: Macy's Neighborhood Store Watch

Post by Blueboy8 »

How does everyone feel about this whole “Toys R US” store partnership? I think it sounds very interesting! Macy’s needs to update and revamp their selection. By adding a nice toy section, sales and foot traffic probably should follow. I just wonder how big these “stores within a store” will be? Backstage locations are already relatively large.
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Re: Macy's Neighborhood Store Watch

Post by Alpha8472 »

This is nothing new. I saw Toy departments in Macy's stores last year. The Backstage Stores also sell toys right now. I doubt these Toy R Us stores will be anything like the previous full sized stores.

JCPenney had Disney stores a few years ago. I believe that JCPenney still has a toy department. Even Kohl's has a toy department.
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Re: Macy's Neighborhood Store Watch

Post by storewanderer »

Macy's ran FAO Schwartz departments in their stores back when that chain was a chain, 20+ years ago. Adding in a temporary toy vendor is nothing new for Macy's. In the Reno Macy's, they already have about 6k square feet of space for toys sourced by Macy's Backstage. It used to be the women's Last Act area and part of kid's clothing. It sits outside the walls of the Backstage Department, not separated in any way from a women's causal clothing department. I would expect this to become the new Toys R Us department.

Given in many cases nobody else in the mall is selling toys, it seems like this should be a good idea. But I question if they will have the SKU depth that customers expect out of the Toys R Us brand.
JoeLynch1997
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Re: Macy's Neighborhood Store Watch

Post by JoeLynch1997 »

Exton Square (#39 on this list) I can see closing. I don't think that store was ever renovated since it was Strawbridge's.
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