Macy's Closing 10 Stores in January 2022

Predicting the demise of Sears & Kmart since 2017!
BillyGr
Store Manager
Store Manager
Posts: 1579
Joined: October 5th, 2010, 7:33 pm
Been thanked: 58 times
Status: Offline

Re: Macy's Closing 10 Stores in January 2022

Post by BillyGr »

TW-Upstate NY wrote: December 4th, 2021, 10:36 am
BillyGr wrote: December 4th, 2021, 9:52 am Now, over the years they have closed most of the stores, leaving just the original and I believe one in the other big mall, so that has to help cut costs while still keeping the majority of shoppers coming to the main locations (if they haven't switched to ordering online, that is).
Which would be Colonie Center, which opened with the mall in the 60's and is the larger of the two and Crossgates which (and correct me if I'm wrong Billy) I think was originally Jordan Marsh or Filene's. The problem I see with this strategy is these two stores are very close to each other and so far have escaped the axe but I could see them going back to one very large store as it was for probably 30+ years after they first arrived here.
You are correct - Colonie Center was the relocated/expanded store (with the old 2 story store turning into more mall space) and Crossgates had both of the other chains. One of which had (if I remember correctly) moved when that mall was expanded - they were originally both in the "center" of the old section, across from each other. Not quite certain which spot is still Macy's now.

They certainly could get rid of one or the other, but the two malls overall draw quite a bit from the surrounding area, and some may go to only one and not the other, so that might warrant keeping both.
Jeff
Service Clerk
Service Clerk
Posts: 122
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:18 pm
Been thanked: 9 times
Status: Offline

Re: Macy's Closing 10 Stores in January 2022

Post by Jeff »

I think the following could be closed in the upcoming years:

Northridge Mens Store(could consolidate into one store. The mens store is super spread out and the first floor is completely closed off).
Puente Hills (last department store in the mall - it is enevitable as the mall is dead)
Galleria At South Bay (supposed to close to move into the smaller former Nordstrom).

Questionable stores include Otay Mesa, Victorville, Palm Desert Furniture store, Lakewood (close to Cerritos, and store has shrunk over the years).

Other than that, I can't think of any others.
arizonaguy
Store Manager
Store Manager
Posts: 1107
Joined: July 12th, 2013, 6:07 pm
Been thanked: 35 times
Status: Offline

Re: Macy's Closing 10 Stores in January 2022

Post by arizonaguy »

In the Phoenix area I believe the store most in danger is the Superstition Springs Center store. It's too close to the store at Santan Village (which is essentially has served to cannibalize Superstition Springs). Other than that Macy's has already closed stores at the malls that were dying and the remaining stores all do decent business.
buckguy
Store Manager
Store Manager
Posts: 1004
Joined: January 31st, 2017, 10:54 am
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 61 times
Status: Offline

Re: Macy's Closing 10 Stores in January 2022

Post by buckguy »

I would imagine that separate home store locations for Macy (and anyone else) will gradually go away. When Bloomingdales replaced their enormous White Flint store with a smaller one in Friendship Heights (about 10 years ago), furniture was the main thing to go and it had been drawing very few customers at White Flint. Furniture retail has really changed a lot in the last 20 or so years. There seem to be fewer furniture stores, overall, even in a market like DC which gets people at all points in the age spectrum moving in or moving up in terms of space. Several reliable independents like Columbia Oak (which did a big business in basic, well made wood furniture in a location convenient to DC and Baltimore) are gone. Door Store and the futon places are gone. The new kinds of mattresses seem to have ended the continual expansion of mattress stores. There seem to be fewer credit furniture store chains of the sort that used to advertise at odd hours on tv. Things seem better at the higher end, but even there a lot of places have closed or seem in decline. Crate & Barrel has lost ground to newer chains, although some of them have closed stores (like West Elm) and once trendy stores like Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn have closed stores. La-z-Boy tried a new semi-upscale "urban concept" store that quickly vanished.
arizonaguy
Store Manager
Store Manager
Posts: 1107
Joined: July 12th, 2013, 6:07 pm
Been thanked: 35 times
Status: Offline

Re: Macy's Closing 10 Stores in January 2022

Post by arizonaguy »

buckguy wrote: December 10th, 2021, 5:10 am I would imagine that separate home store locations for Macy (and anyone else) will gradually go away. When Bloomingdales replaced their enormous White Flint store with a smaller one in Friendship Heights (about 10 years ago), furniture was the main thing to go and it had been drawing very few customers at White Flint. Furniture retail has really changed a lot in the last 20 or so years. There seem to be fewer furniture stores, overall, even in a market like DC which gets people at all points in the age spectrum moving in or moving up in terms of space. Several reliable independents like Columbia Oak (which did a big business in basic, well made wood furniture in a location convenient to DC and Baltimore) are gone. Door Store and the futon places are gone. The new kinds of mattresses seem to have ended the continual expansion of mattress stores. There seem to be fewer credit furniture store chains of the sort that used to advertise at odd hours on tv. Things seem better at the higher end, but even there a lot of places have closed or seem in decline. Crate & Barrel has lost ground to newer chains, although some of them have closed stores (like West Elm) and once trendy stores like Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn have closed stores. La-z-Boy tried a new semi-upscale "urban concept" store that quickly vanished.
Younger people also aren't buying furniture that is designed to last for a lifetime like prior generations were. I know several younger people, even in relatively high income brackets, that buy Ikea furniture with the thought that in 10 years or so they can replace it with other furniture. I also know a lot of younger families who simply are using inherited furniture from prior generations.

Out here in Phoenix the growth of furniture seems to be in "discount" furniture places such as American Furniture Warehouse, Living Spaces, American Freight, and Ashley Furniture.
jamcool
Store Manager
Store Manager
Posts: 1019
Joined: March 5th, 2009, 10:27 pm
Been thanked: 50 times
Status: Online

Re: Macy's Closing 10 Stores in January 2022

Post by jamcool »

AFW is similar to the old Levitz chain…showroom and warehouse. So is Living Spaces. And there still is a Levitz-named furniture chain…Sam Levitz in Tucson.
timanny
Stock Clerk
Stock Clerk
Posts: 46
Joined: October 5th, 2016, 12:31 pm
Status: Offline

Re: Macy's Closing 10 Stores in January 2022

Post by timanny »

jamcool wrote: December 10th, 2021, 10:37 am AFW is similar to the old Levitz chain…showroom and warehouse. So is Living Spaces. And there still is a Levitz-named furniture chain…Sam Levitz in Tucson.
AFW originated in Denver. He's up in age now, but AFW owner Jake Jabs was Denver's literal equivalent to Cal Worthington. He had the animals and everything. One time a lion cub had an accident on a waterbed 😂😂😂.
buckguy
Store Manager
Store Manager
Posts: 1004
Joined: January 31st, 2017, 10:54 am
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 61 times
Status: Offline

Re: Macy's Closing 10 Stores in January 2022

Post by buckguy »

arizonaguy wrote: December 10th, 2021, 7:20 am
buckguy wrote: December 10th, 2021, 5:10 am I would imagine that separate home store locations for Macy (and anyone else) will gradually go away. When Bloomingdales replaced their enormous White Flint store with a smaller one in Friendship Heights (about 10 years ago), furniture was the main thing to go and it had been drawing very few customers at White Flint. Furniture retail has really changed a lot in the last 20 or so years. There seem to be fewer furniture stores, overall, even in a market like DC which gets people at all points in the age spectrum moving in or moving up in terms of space. Several reliable independents like Columbia Oak (which did a big business in basic, well made wood furniture in a location convenient to DC and Baltimore) are gone. Door Store and the futon places are gone. The new kinds of mattresses seem to have ended the continual expansion of mattress stores. There seem to be fewer credit furniture store chains of the sort that used to advertise at odd hours on tv. Things seem better at the higher end, but even there a lot of places have closed or seem in decline. Crate & Barrel has lost ground to newer chains, although some of them have closed stores (like West Elm) and once trendy stores like Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn have closed stores. La-z-Boy tried a new semi-upscale "urban concept" store that quickly vanished.
Younger people also aren't buying furniture that is designed to last for a lifetime like prior generations were. I know several younger people, even in relatively high income brackets, that buy Ikea furniture with the thought that in 10 years or so they can replace it with other furniture. I also know a lot of younger families who simply are using inherited furniture from prior generations.

Out here in Phoenix the growth of furniture seems to be in "discount" furniture places such as American Furniture Warehouse, Living Spaces, American Freight, and Ashley Furniture.
Young people haven't been buying furniture that lasts a long time for generations---that's why so many mid-range local furniture chains are gone and department store furniture selections have shrunk. The price difference between the middling stuff sold by furniture chains and department stores and much better furniture often isn't that huge. The middling stuff has gotten quite expensive and it depreciates dramatically as soon as you leave the store. That may be why the stores that survive to a large extent sell furniture that will stick around---upper middle brow stores like Room and Board or Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams. OTOH, a lot of the old cheapies are gone including the credit places that sold rooms of cheap furniture on ridiculous credit terms. The store that still sells to every segment is IKEA---you don't have to worry about losing money on it, people on a budget can have some new things instead of hand me downs and people at the upper end can furnish rooms that aren't expected to last--a child's bedroom, a guest room, etc.
Alpha8472
Posts: 3929
Joined: February 24th, 2009, 8:55 pm
Been thanked: 79 times
Status: Offline

Re: Macy's Closing 10 Stores in January 2022

Post by Alpha8472 »

There is a Macy's Furniture Store in Pleasanton, California all by itself in a strip mall. It is an upper middle class to rich neighborhood. It is always empty of customers. There are two separate Macy's at Stoneridge Mall in the same city. The rent on the strip mall store must be very low, because they have kept it open even though I do not see much business there.

Many furniture stores seem to stay open even though you never see many customers. I assume that the low rent makes them profitable enough.
ClownLoach
Valued Contributor
Valued Contributor
Posts: 2694
Joined: April 4th, 2016, 10:55 pm
Has thanked: 40 times
Been thanked: 289 times
Status: Offline

Re: Macy's Closing 10 Stores in January 2022

Post by ClownLoach »

buckguy wrote: December 10th, 2021, 5:10 am I would imagine that separate home store locations for Macy (and anyone else) will gradually go away. When Bloomingdales replaced their enormous White Flint store with a smaller one in Friendship Heights (about 10 years ago), furniture was the main thing to go and it had been drawing very few customers at White Flint. Furniture retail has really changed a lot in the last 20 or so years. There seem to be fewer furniture stores, overall, even in a market like DC which gets people at all points in the age spectrum moving in or moving up in terms of space. Several reliable independents like Columbia Oak (which did a big business in basic, well made wood furniture in a location convenient to DC and Baltimore) are gone. Door Store and the futon places are gone. The new kinds of mattresses seem to have ended the continual expansion of mattress stores. There seem to be fewer credit furniture store chains of the sort that used to advertise at odd hours on tv. Things seem better at the higher end, but even there a lot of places have closed or seem in decline. Crate & Barrel has lost ground to newer chains, although some of them have closed stores (like West Elm) and once trendy stores like Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn have closed stores. La-z-Boy tried a new semi-upscale "urban concept" store that quickly vanished.
Restoration Hardware, now just RH, is somehow doing very well and making massive investments in ultra expensive property. They are building a new flagship on the oceanfront side of Fashion Island in Newport Beach. This property was originally JCPenney when the mall was built I am told, then it was split with the ground floor being a very high end Circuit City (one of the most profitable units in the chain) and upper being various stores with mall entry. The top and bottom floors were reunified as a Forever 21 that did not survive their bankruptcy. RH is opening in 2024. I heard this store will cost over $100M including a rooftop "Five Star" restaurant. Not sure who pays the entire bill, Irvine Company or RH. Seems like every few years they throw another $100M at Fashion Island - last time I really couldn't tell what they did aside from replacing every paving stone, painting all the buildings and changing out a few restaurants. It is a timeless property with classic Tuscan architecture and I imagine that the land is worth billions, being a massive perfectly placed ledge overlooking the ocean.

This is next to the Macy's which has an abnormally large furniture department on the ground floor that was recently fully remodeled - the rest of the store just got paint and patch but a completely new furniture assortment and layout that looks sharp. Looks more like a focus on quality and longevity in the assortment plus ability to order a wide variety of colors in each piece of furniture (leather couches available in at least 20 colors for example). Not sure how lead times have been affected by the current supply chain issues though - if these are made to order or just warehoused somewhere by Macy's.

Seems like there is plenty to go around in the area though. That Bristol Farms nearby hasn't been updated to their rather harsh looking new prototype and I don't think they plan to make changes as it clearly does a ton of business. Was there yesterday and just watching the front end for a few minutes nearly every basket was several hundred dollars with all registers open. Long wait for service meat with a lady loudly demanding only Prime steaks from the butcher for her large order in which some cuts were only available as "choice" or a premium grass fed or Wagyu type. I think she was going to spend at least $1000 on beef. Whole crabs $22 a pound on sale going out by the cartful - literally as each one got its own large box like a cake box. I'm guessing each one was 5 lbs.. Quite possibly the finest floral department I have seen and better quality and assortment than any other florist anywhere - half the front wall is all floral and the designer was clearly bogged down in massive orders that covered her counter. Each one of these pieces she was making had to be at least a couple hundred. Clearly no shortage of money in Newport. I bought my one $3 giant hot "The Cookie" and a bottle of eggnog and was surprised that they didn't ask "is that all?" as everyone else in the express lane had well over 10 items. Crazy.
Post Reply