Federated to Put Macy’s Name on 330 Stores
Federated Department Stores will rename about 330 stores as Macy’s when it completes its merger with The May Department Stores Co.
Ten regional names will disappear in fall 2006 when Federated converts the May-owned chains: Famous-Barr, Filene’s, Foley’s, Hecht’s, The Jones Store, Kaufmann’s, L.S. Ayres, Meier & Frank, Robinsons-May and Strawbridge’s.
The Marshall Field’s name remains in limbo; Lord & Taylor stores won’t change. All chains keep their current names through the holiday season. Federated will sell or close some stores in 2006, and may cut jobs as early as March 2006.
The consolidation will give Macy’s 730 stores nationally and will strengthen its Macy’s Star Rewards loyalty program and streamline gift card and registry programs, said Federated President-CEO Terry J. Lundgren in a statement. Federated dropped hyphenated names from regional Macy’s stores in March 2005, and rolled five regional loyalty programs into Star Rewards (Xtra Feb. 2).
“We respect that May Company’s regional store names are deeply rooted in their communities, we appreciate the heritage and traditions associated with those names, and we expect to continue to play an important role in the communities where our customers live and work,” Lundgren said. “At the same time, we also have learned from our own experience converting Federated’s regional nameplates. Our customers tell us through research and from their behavior that what’s inside a store— merchandise, the service, the people, the shopping environment— what matters most. And this is where Macy’s excels.”
Marshall Field’s shoppers have rallied to fight a name change for the venerable Chicago chain. An independent Web site, KeepItFields.org, asks shoppers to share stories about Field’s and to sign an online petition to keep the name. Ironically, former Field’s owner Target Corp. renamed all its department stores as Marshall Field’s about four years ago, eliminating the respected Dayton’s and Hudson’s names in Midwest markets.
