Discuss Detroit » Archives - Beginning July 2006 » Field's Signs Coming Down Yet? « Previous Next »
Top of pageBottom of page

Krapug
Member
Username: Krapug

Post Number: 41
Registered: 12-2003
Posted From: 24.191.57.248
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 9:58 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

With the Federated plan is convert all it's
mid level stores to the Macy's nameplate on September 9 rapidly approaching, are the local
Field's signs being replaced with Macy's yet??

It will be interesting to see what happens to the handful of downtown stores that will also become Macy's on September 9. Taking State Street out of this mix for now (Macy's has stated that State Street will be run as it's 3rd flagship, after Herald Sqaure and Union Square), Macy's will inherit downtown stores in Pittsburgh
Kaufman's), Houston (Foley's), St Louis (Famous-Barr), and a couple of others. This is in addition to downtown stores that Macy's already operates in Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, etc.
I wonder is Macy's will attempt to run these stores with a more urban vibe, and restore some glitz to these locations, or simply let them languish?

On August 2nd, a new Macy's will open in Center City Philly in the former John Wanamaker flagship
(this was a Lord and Taylor for the past 9 years), and Macy's has commited to keeping the Organ Concerts, Christmas Light Show, and Eagle, thus keeping this location a "destination".

If a "national" Macy's works, and they are able to run these downtown stores at a profit, it could make the idea of a downtown Detroit Macy's possible.

Stay tuned....................

Ken
Top of pageBottom of page

Fury13
Member
Username: Fury13

Post Number: 1162
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 69.14.251.28
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 10:14 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

You will never see another traditional department store in downtown Detroit again. Never. Not in your lifetime.

Detroit is not a New York, or a Chicago, or even a Philadelphia. It has a long way to go.

I do not understand why people fail to understand this. Optimism is fine, but be realistic.

You might get a Target in the WSU/New Center area at some point, but that's about it.
Top of pageBottom of page

Bobj
Member
Username: Bobj

Post Number: 904
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 68.40.89.238
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 10:16 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I would love to see it, but with all the newly refurbished retail spaces in Downtown Detroit right now (Opera House garage, Merchants Row, Compuware is pretty full, north Woodward, Kales bldg), there doesn't seem to be a big rush for retailers right now
Top of pageBottom of page

Fury13
Member
Username: Fury13

Post Number: 1163
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 69.14.251.28
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 10:20 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The residents need to come back downtown first, and in droves. Then, and only then, will boutique-type retailers begin to take the risk of occupying those vacant spaces.

In other words, it has to pretty much be a safe bet for a prospective retailer that they're going to get a LOT of foot traffic... because there is no convenient parking for retail patrons in downtown Detroit.

And no subway/el either...

(Message edited by Fury13 on July 22, 2006)
Top of pageBottom of page

Pffft
Member
Username: Pffft

Post Number: 1053
Registered: 12-2003
Posted From: 71.144.116.238
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:07 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

But Fury,

Parking was even more of a problem back when the streets were mobbed, when we were kids. Hudson's always had a parking garage. There are probably more parking garages downtown today than there was back then.
Top of pageBottom of page

Iheartthed
Member
Username: Iheartthed

Post Number: 140
Registered: 04-2006
Posted From: 64.131.176.232
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:08 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Downtown doesn't really need a big box boutique. Maybe when the region's population starts to grow again. Otherwise, it will just suck business from some other area of the region.

It would be nice to see some mid and high end retailers set up shop down there. Maybe mix it up with some homegrown stuff that you can't get everywhere. If they can put an H&M in Harlem then they could get something similar in downtown Detroit within the next 5 years.
Top of pageBottom of page

Fury13
Member
Username: Fury13

Post Number: 1164
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 69.14.251.28
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:13 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Pfft, shopping patterns have changed in the past 30-50 years. People have gotten lazier. Except for places like NYC where transit gets people around, people expect to drive right up to within 50 feet of the door of a store. This is especially true in our car-oriented "motor city." Strip malls are thriving here; people seem to love them.
Top of pageBottom of page

Pffft
Member
Username: Pffft

Post Number: 1054
Registered: 12-2003
Posted From: 71.144.116.238
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:24 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

New York's not like that, Philly's not like that, nor is Chicago. They too have parking garages, as do we!

Downtown Chicago isn't made up of strip malls, eh...
Top of pageBottom of page

Iheartthed
Member
Username: Iheartthed

Post Number: 141
Registered: 04-2006
Posted From: 64.131.176.232
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:29 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

It's funny how every thriving area right now has a great mass transit system... hmmm...
Top of pageBottom of page

Mauser765
Member
Username: Mauser765

Post Number: 881
Registered: 01-2004
Posted From: 4.229.24.41
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:29 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The MF at Eastland Center has the Macys up, and a banner that still says MFs covering it.
Top of pageBottom of page

Pffft
Member
Username: Pffft

Post Number: 1055
Registered: 12-2003
Posted From: 71.144.116.238
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:40 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

What I don't understand is, these are smart people with money...we all know that consumers are creatures of habit. That you build up a brand like Marshall Field's (or Hudson's) over years, with brand loyalty.

Why do they want to erase all that loyalty and start anew with a strange name? It seems like corporate ego, nothing more.
Top of pageBottom of page

Hysteria
Member
Username: Hysteria

Post Number: 901
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 64.12.116.204
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:42 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Topic: Field's signs coming down yet?

Federated closed the Marshall Field's where I live because May Co. already had another department store at the mall (L.S. Ayres). They have replaced the L.S. Ayres signs with Macy's signs but covered them with plastic/vinyl signs that say L.S. Ayres. (Similar to what Mauser765 stated). I guess the official unveiling is not until September 9.

I knew when May Co. acquired Marshall Field's from Target Corp. that it would ruin Field's some how. Just as it did to Lord & Taylor (perhaps will make a comeback), Hecht's, Kaufmann's, etc. I never expected Field's to be gone, though. :-(
Top of pageBottom of page

East_detroit
Member
Username: East_detroit

Post Number: 649
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 69.212.169.194
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:45 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Who cares if we have a Macy's downtown?

Start thinking as a region, because that is what we are and that is the only way to succeed. Pretending its the 1950s or wanting the 1950s is not going to help success. We should concentrate on our positives instead of always playing wannabe.

We have Somerset, as a region, with free parking. Why try to move Somerset downtown?

I do agree that as a region we need mass transit that is dependable and efficient.... but we dont need to move everything downtown.

Thing is... if we had good mass transit (like MARTA or BART, etc) then Hudsons would probably still be downtown and it wouldnt matter so much where things were.
Top of pageBottom of page

Mcpd1300
Member
Username: Mcpd1300

Post Number: 105
Registered: 01-2006
Posted From: 71.65.18.109
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:45 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Twelve Oaks Mall's Marshall Fields signs have been replaced with the Macy's logo about 2 months ago and covered with vinyl banners with the Marshall Fields logo.
Top of pageBottom of page

Ron
Member
Username: Ron

Post Number: 237
Registered: 03-2006
Posted From: 66.174.93.104
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 1:50 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I give it no more than ten years before we have a mass retail development downtown along the lines of a Water Tower. As noted above by you Fury, we need a mass movement of people downtown. I can't believe that all these very smart folks funding the residential development downtown would be wasting the billions of dollars they are spending if they projected losses.

What the people who make decisions need to understand is that Detroiters SPEND MONEY ON CLOTHES. I'm not the only who has heard the jokes about Detroiters being the only people who will wear Gators to the grocery store.

I agree East Detroit that we need to think like a region when it comes to REGIONAL ISSUES, but why just sit back and let all that tax money go to the suburbs? That is not good municipal governance.

Hudson's left downtown because the people with money no longer wanted to shop there. That phenomenon is changing. There was an electric atmosphere downtown last night. The streets were PACKED. People from all walks of life were out and about, enjoying what Detroit has to offer. That is a tremendous sign. I was a little peeved at the traffic (because I had to use the bathroom and couldn't get where I was going fast enough), but I was thoroughly impressed.

Times, they are a changin'.
Top of pageBottom of page

Detroit313
Member
Username: Detroit313

Post Number: 161
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 12.45.2.184
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 3:19 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

East Detroit is right. This is the Detroit Region. Malls are everywhere, in every corner of the region. So what there isn't a "mall" downtown. The important thing is what ever you need you can get at the mall. Now for specialty stores there are a few downtown, and more are coming. Be patient Macy's will come.313
Top of pageBottom of page

Bob
Member
Username: Bob

Post Number: 1065
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 205.188.116.137
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 4:09 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Lakeside Mall's MF has also had its signs changed to Macys and covered with a sign saying MF still.
Top of pageBottom of page

Pffft
Member
Username: Pffft

Post Number: 1056
Registered: 12-2003
Posted From: 71.144.116.238
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 4:24 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Because I want everything in a concentrated area. I don't want to have to drive all the way to bumf&*k to get to a Lord & Taylor, then have to turn around and drive innumerable more miles to get to a Saks. Have it all concentrated. In a high density area. Someplace central.

They call it a city. The opposite of Novi.
Top of pageBottom of page

Danny
Member
Username: Danny

Post Number: 4617
Registered: 02-2004
Posted From: 141.217.174.235
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 4:46 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)



That would be store we Michiganders shop! GOODBY HUDSON'S AND GOODBYE MARSHALL FIELD'S "THEY" JUST EAT YOU ALL UP like Pac-Man.
Top of pageBottom of page

Danny
Member
Username: Danny

Post Number: 4618
Registered: 02-2004
Posted From: 141.217.174.235
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 4:48 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I can't wait to shop MACY'S 13 hour sale, NOT!!!

Or better yet. I'm not going MACY'S American's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

(Message edited by danny on July 22, 2006)
Top of pageBottom of page

Messykitty
Member
Username: Messykitty

Post Number: 22
Registered: 03-2006
Posted From: 24.21.198.33
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 8:56 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

'Meier and Frank' stores in Portland still say 'Meier and Frank.' They have not been replaced with Macy's signs and covered with vinyl signs that read 'Meier and Frank.' Not that you care. I just felt like typing. I feel better now. Carry on.
xo
messykitty
Top of pageBottom of page

Livedog2
Member
Username: Livedog2

Post Number: 733
Registered: 03-2006
Posted From: 71.10.61.35
Posted on Saturday, July 22, 2006 - 11:56 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hang on to your memories of the way it was because that's the way its going to be. Our parent's generation lamented the loss of the way things were when they were kids, we lament the loss of the way things were when we were kids and the generation coming up will lament the loss of the way things were when they were kids. That's the way its always been and that's the way it's always going to be.

It's sad but tear that schitt down and start all over again with new memories. The only thing that never changes is change! So, load those digital cameras up with 1gb memory cards and start shooting those memories.

Livedog2
Top of pageBottom of page

Jjaba
Member
Username: Jjaba

Post Number: 4114
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 71.193.193.49
Posted on Sunday, July 23, 2006 - 12:38 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Macy's likes MF's evidently.
jjaba doesn't think it is a very good strategy but time with tell.

If you don't like the Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade, you can watch Macys' New York Parade on tv.

jjaba.
Top of pageBottom of page

Missnmich
Member
Username: Missnmich

Post Number: 527
Registered: 11-2004
Posted From: 24.32.180.75
Posted on Sunday, July 23, 2006 - 2:47 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

In Memphis, when Macys swallowed the local Goldsmith's they added Macys in the same size as the existing Goldsmith's signs, so that it read Goldsmith's-Macys. After people got used to the change, they dropped Goldsmith's and became just plain Macys

At least its not Dillards ...
Top of pageBottom of page

Miketoronto
Member
Username: Miketoronto

Post Number: 214
Registered: 07-2004
Posted From: 65.92.147.253
Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 12:04 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The Philly store, the old Wannamakers store is a total former shell of itself. The store is only 3 floors now. The old Wannamaker store had something like 14 stories of shopping. But over the years before it became Lord and Taylor, it was downsized to nothing more then a suburban mall branch size now.

That is what is killing the downtown department store, downsizing. If MACY'S can keep these stores large, I think they will survive.
Top of pageBottom of page

Maryellen22471
Member
Username: Maryellen22471

Post Number: 40
Registered: 02-2004
Posted From: 68.61.201.235
Posted on Monday, July 24, 2006 - 7:53 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I was in marshall fields at fairlane yesterday and one thing I noticed is there are starting to carry macy's merchandise but I didn't notice the signs outside to see if they were changed or not.
my mom was at southland yesterday and said the signs hadn't been changed yet.
Top of pageBottom of page

Krapug
Member
Username: Krapug

Post Number: 42
Registered: 12-2003
Posted From: 24.188.92.110
Posted on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 - 11:11 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Has Macy's announced which stores in Metro Detroit are going to be considered the Flagship (s)?. As part of this restructuring each region will have at least one store designated as a "flagship", and this carry more "upscale" merchandise than the others.

The Center City Macy's has it's official opening next Wednesday August 2nd and they have a day full of events planned including a "in-store fireworks" display planned for the Grand Court (whatever in door fireworks are).

Yes, this store is much smaller than the days when it was John Wanamaker, but it will still be the largest Macy's in the region.
Smaller stores are better than no store, as long as they are run properly.

Ken
Top of pageBottom of page

Hysteria
Member
Username: Hysteria

Post Number: 921
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 216.223.168.132
Posted on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 - 11:15 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Somerset. One of the associates at Marshall Field's told a friend of mine that Federated was considering Marshall Field's at Somerset as a possible Bloomingdale's location but they had a change of plans. It will be the flagship Macy's for the region.
Top of pageBottom of page

Beadgrl
Member
Username: Beadgrl

Post Number: 1
Registered: 07-2006
Posted From: 146.9.221.148
Posted on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 3:59 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Does this mean the end of Santa Bear?
Top of pageBottom of page

Miketoronto
Member
Username: Miketoronto

Post Number: 216
Registered: 07-2004
Posted From: 70.48.13.195
Posted on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 4:16 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

This has to do with Philly. But check out the memories there. Its a good read.
---

Say Good-bye to Strawbridge's

A Center City style fades away
Strawbridge and closure. The last of the old genteel giants fades into history today.
By Dianna Marder
Inquirer Staff Writer

We said our formal goodbyes to Strawbridge & Clothier in 1996 when it was acquired by the May Department Stores Co.

We mourned again in 2005 when May was acquired by Federated Department Stores.

Technically, Strawbridge's hasn't been Strawbridge's for a decade. But as long as the brass nameplate remained on the store established in 1868 by the Quaker merchants Justus C. Strawbridge and Isaac H. Clothier, we could pretend nothing significant had happened.

But today the Eighth and Market Streets store is closing. The Lord & Taylor store (née John Wanamaker) across from City Hall was closed last week and will be refurbished before reopening as a Macy's in August.

Federated has said it will keep the famed Wanamaker organ and the eagle that was the site of so many rendezvous. And spokeswoman Elina Kazan said the company would "make every effort" to preserve key landmarks from Strawbridge's center city store, among them the Dickens Christmas Village and the wild boar sculpture.

End of an era is an understatement.

For nearly 50 years, Center City shopping was defined by the elegant retail palaces on Market and Chestnut Streets: not just Wanamakers and Strawbridge but Gimbel Bros., Lit Bros., and N. Snellenburg & Co. - mostly family-owned businesses that made employees and shoppers alike feel like part of the royal family.

Featuring marble floors and polished mahogany counters, wide aisles and gracious staircases, plush restrooms for the ladies and in-store fashion shows by Junior League debutantes, Philadelphia's grand department stores stood as beacons of style and set the tone for public decorum.
Strawbridge & Clothier was "as distinctively Philadelphian as Carpenters' Hall or the Betsy Ross House," this newspaper noted on the store's 75th anniversary.

...."The family-owned department stores had enormous impact in shaping civic identity," says Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University. "You could tell where you were by what store you were in.

"These were gorgeous, architecturally important buildings, with window displays like Broadway stages," Thompson says.

Today, shopping is dominated by big-box stores owned by enormous corporate entities.

"Going downtown was a significant part of childhood," Thompson says. "We've lost that experience and nothing will take the place of it."

Live radio broadcasts

They came on the Reading Railroad and on PTC; by subway and by bus, on the Shopper's Special and the Frankford El.

Legions of shoppers embarked from City Hall to stroll from Wanamakers to Snellenburg's, Strawbridge & Clothier to Gimbels and Lits - stopping along the way at Blauner's, B.F. Dewees, and the Blum Store.

Men in starched shirts, women with hats and gloves, children with their hair combed and shoes polished - they all came. In the 1920s, families went to Strawbridge's live radio broadcasts. In fact, each of the big stores had its own radio station: Gimbels' was WIP, Wanamakers' call letters were WOO, and Strawbridge's WFI, later merged with Lits' WLIT to become WFIL.

On Saturdays, shoppers stayed for lunch - tea sandwiches in Wanamakers' Crystal Tea Room or Strawbridge's Corinthian Room; soup in the Jefferson Room at Lits or a hot dog and custard at the Wanafrost stand in Wanamaker's basement.

.....From Germantown to Upper Darby, from Strawberry Mansion to Swarthmore, people shared a common experience. Listening to the organ in Wanamakers was free, and anybody could window-shop.

"The idea of the department store was to be all things for all people," says Marty Rogoff, who teaches business and marketing at Philadelphia University.

Yet each of the city's downtown stores had a distinct character.

"Wanamakers was very regal and glamorous," says Helene Kates of Broomall. "My father used to say that the rich people shopped there."

Lits and Gimbels were "more working class," she says. "They had less frills, and the kind of sales depicted on the Lucy show where ladies fought tooth and nail at the bargain tables and sales racks."

And Strawbridge "was like The Philadelphia Story with Katharine Hepburn," says Stan Steinberg, now 77 and living in Dresher. "It had class."

The department stores hired and trained staff as salespeople, not mere cashiers, and required them to dress in dark, solid, sophisticated colors.

"Women wore high heels and they were never without stockings," says Mary Lawrence, now 79, who worked in Gimbels, Strawbridge and Dewees, a women's specialty shop.

Anything purchased could be delivered - initially in horse-drawn wagons - because the customer was king.

"If a customer wanted a straight pin wrapped and delivered, they would do that free of charge," says Rosalie Marta, now 63, who got her wedding trousseau at Wanamakers.

Many women got their first charge accounts at Strawbridge, in the pre-plastic era when the cards were cardboard with a metal insert.

The stores had clubs and modeling classes for teens and preteens who aspired to be young ladies.

Linda Small of Huntingdon Valley attended Strawbridge's Charm School in the 1950s.

"We were taught how to apply makeup, how to walk gracefully, and everything a young lady at that time needed to know," Small says.

In 1966, Elizabeth Hanson of South Philadelphia was crowned Miss Lit Teen. She was there the day the Supremes came to the store to kick off Liteen Week in the spring of 1967, between their performances at the Latin Casino.

And Claire Rosenstein, who grew up in Oxford Circle, was in Strawbridge's Sub-Deb club.

"There were fashion shows and speakers from Seventeen magazine. They even took us on field trips."

"I feel so awful," says Rosenstein, who is now in her 60s. "With this store, so much a part of my culture is closing."

...the department stores became civic institutions. In Philadelphia, the Wanamakers, Strawbridges and other families of store owners demonstrated that they had a stake not only in the well-being of their employees, but also in the larger community.

....A uniformed doorman helped shoppers in and out of taxicabs. And Stockton Strawbridge, his sons and nephews were akin to movie stars.

Dale Kessler, who worked in women's fine shoes in the 1960s, remembers the Strawbridge men in their three-piece suits.

"Oh, how I loved Strawbridge's then! The Strawbridges themselves - father and sons - would walk the aisles there every so often, and to me they were like royalty."

But the Strawbridge family was "never condescending," she recalled. "They were always warm in their approach."

....Daniel D'Orazio, who worked at Strawbridge in 1959 when he was fresh out of college, got help when he needed it.

"My father suffered a severe illness and was hospitalized soon after my hiring. He was comatose and hemorrhaging profusely, and needed many blood transfusions. We had no medical insurance and were responsible for not only the hospital bill but also the blood transfusions, which totaled $1,200."

Even though D'Orazio was new on the job, the employee blood bank paid for the transfusions.

"I was always grateful to Strawbridge's for their generosity and thoughtfulness in my time of need."

....During the reign of the downtown department stores, buyers sailed to Europe and Asia several times a year to select and order Parisian dresses, English raincoats and Chinese silks especially for their shoppers in Philadelphia.

Now, you can be in a mall in Seattle and find the same clothing you'd find in a mall in St. Louis.

Retail industry expert Rick Segel laments what he calls the "homogenization of America."

"It is too bad," he says, "that we've lost the individual identity that was possible before the department stores all merged."

...Janet Young, who was a young mother when her husband's job brought the family from Kansas to Philadelphia, remembers a helpful saleswoman at Strawbridge in 1968.

"She asked if I had a credit card," Young recalled. "And I said no, but my husband does."

"Oh, my dear," Young remembered the saleslady saying, "every woman must establish her own credit. It will serve you well for the rest of your life."

"And later in life," Young says, "I always remember why I have credit."

"What we're saying goodbye to now," Young says, "is not what we've known all these years."
Top of pageBottom of page

Dalangdon
Member
Username: Dalangdon

Post Number: 42
Registered: 03-2006
Posted From: 66.54.213.11
Posted on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 5:00 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Our Bon Marche stores in the Northwest became Bon-Macys, and finally Macys. Too bad - I always thought "The Bon Marche" sounded classy.
Top of pageBottom of page

Hysteria
Member
Username: Hysteria

Post Number: 926
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 152.163.100.8
Posted on Wednesday, July 26, 2006 - 6:22 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

For Dalangdon:

http://www.pdxhistory.com/html/the_bon_marche.html

Miketoronto:


quote:

....During the reign of the downtown department stores, buyers sailed to Europe and Asia several times a year to select and order Parisian dresses, English raincoats and Chinese silks especially for their shoppers in Philadelphia.



Marshall Field’s was the first department store to establish a European buying office, the first to offer in-store dining and the first to offer a bridal registry. In the early 1900’s, annual sales topped $60 million and branches were located in New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Stockholm and Berlin.

Marshall Field's
http://www.pdxhistory.com/html/marshall_fields.html

Fascinating!

(Message edited by HYSTERIA on July 26, 2006)
Top of pageBottom of page

Krapug
Member
Username: Krapug

Post Number: 43
Registered: 12-2003
Posted From: 24.188.92.110
Posted on Thursday, July 27, 2006 - 8:14 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thanks for posting the article about the Strawbridge and Clothier building. last week the building was sold to the same developement company that owns the Gallery Mall, and the developer will lease out the retail portion of the building.
Boscov's will hopefully take some of the space, they already expressed interest but they did not want to buy the building, now they do not have to.

Here is a link to the Wanamaker Organ site, and they have the Macy's opening day schedule posted.

www.wanamakerorgan.com

also worth noting, the nations largest African American Sorority is holding it's convention in Philly this week, and Macy's is hosting them on Saturday for a private pre-opening shopping afternoon.

Ken
Top of pageBottom of page

Messykitty
Member
Username: Messykitty

Post Number: 29
Registered: 03-2006
Posted From: 24.21.198.33
Posted on Thursday, July 27, 2006 - 1:47 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thanks, Hysteria. That was a fun site!
Top of pageBottom of page

Hysteria
Member
Username: Hysteria

Post Number: 928
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 216.223.168.132
Posted on Thursday, July 27, 2006 - 2:21 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

you're welcome
:-)
Top of pageBottom of page

Miketoronto
Member
Username: Miketoronto

Post Number: 217
Registered: 07-2004
Posted From: 65.95.233.26
Posted on Thursday, July 27, 2006 - 8:38 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Some bad news from Toronto. SEARS has decided to downsize the downtown Toronto SEARS yet again. They are taking another floor out of commission. That means the store will only have 5 floors now, instead of the 7 it use to have.

When the store was EATONS, it had 9 floors of shopping and 900,000 sq feet of shopping.
I think when SEARS took over, it 600,000 sq feet. This makes it the largest SEARS store anywhere. But still its not good they are downsizing again after they already took one floor out. I know SEARS does not do large stores, but man, another floor gone. The entire EATON CENTRE is always packed. I don't know how SEARS can not make money sitting at the busiest intersection in all of Canada in the highest grossing mall in the region.

When it was EATONS, the Downtown Toronto EATON CENTRE EATONS was the highlight of the EATONS stores. A big Toronto tradition. Then the EATONS family ran the chain into the ground. SEARS only wanted the downtown stores, but it seems they are not the right ones for the jobs, since they can't manage such large stores.

And SEARS remark is "most of our stores are two floors or less. Downtown will still have five".


(Message edited by miketoronto on July 27, 2006)
Top of pageBottom of page

Hysteria
Member
Username: Hysteria

Post Number: 931
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 152.163.100.8
Posted on Thursday, July 27, 2006 - 11:19 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Sears seriously cannot last much longer. The softgoods are Montgomery Ward's quality and the hardware/electronics department cannot compete with Lowe's/Home Depot and Circuit City/Best Buy. A major disappointment for Canadians (and Hoosier dude, me) was Sears acquisition of Canadian department store Eaton's. They turned Eaton's department stores into boring 'suburban' type American mall stores.

Boo to Eddie Lampert and the new Sears/KMart Holdings 'corporate' office in Hoffman Estates, IL.
Top of pageBottom of page

Miketoronto
Member
Username: Miketoronto

Post Number: 218
Registered: 07-2004
Posted From: 65.95.58.173
Posted on Thursday, July 27, 2006 - 11:31 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Actually the downtown Toronto SEARS is hardly suburban. The mens department has clothing you would never see in any other SEARS, including some very expensive clothing lines.

But SEARS just does not know how to run these huge downtown stores with class, to actually attract people.

Theres some rumors around(although I don't think they will do it) that Maison Simons a very famous family run store in Quebec, is thinking of opening in Toronto in the vacated floors of SEARS downtown. However I don't think they will do it, as the store just opened branches in Montreal a couple years ago, and they don't just want to expand for the hell of it, the owner said. They want to take them time.

But talk about a success, Maison Simons restored the vacant SIMPSONS department store in downtown Montreal into an amazing SIMONS store.



(Message edited by miketoronto on July 27, 2006)

(Message edited by miketoronto on July 27, 2006)
Top of pageBottom of page

Hysteria
Member
Username: Hysteria

Post Number: 934
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 152.163.100.8
Posted on Thursday, July 27, 2006 - 11:54 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I wish I knew something about Maison Simons ... reminds me of the old Maison Blanche department store in New Orleans (now Dillard's). Anything like Holt Renfrew?

I am surprised to hear your comments about Sears. I never saw that store as a place to buy clothes (even when they purchased Land's End) but, your side of the border is a completely different market. Interesting.
Top of pageBottom of page

Miketoronto
Member
Username: Miketoronto

Post Number: 219
Registered: 07-2004
Posted From: 65.95.58.173
Posted on Friday, July 28, 2006 - 12:07 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Well the downtown stores SEARS bought were not run as regular SEARS. At first they were run as newer versions of EATONS. After a year or two they changed the name to SEARS and added lawn mowers and stuff. But even to this day, the SEARS in downtown Toronto is still not like normal SEARS stores.
Totally different from the suburban SEARS stores, and the downtown one carries a number of high end items and larger selection of items.

But SEARS just does not understand these grand old stores and how to run them.

Guys, click on the following link and look at this quick clip from the CBC Archives on the closure of the downtown Winnipeg EATONS store. Listen to their stories and what they remember. Its just amazing. And I think alot of Detroit people will find it interesting since Winnipeg also saw their store demolished just like Hudson's was.

http://archives.cbc.ca/IDC-1-69-377-2342/life_society/eatons/clip10



(Message edited by miketoronto on July 28, 2006)
Top of pageBottom of page

Hysteria
Member
Username: Hysteria

Post Number: 935
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 152.163.100.8
Posted on Friday, July 28, 2006 - 12:13 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I agree. The current management of KMart Holdings (isn't that Sears parent company?) is only looking for shareholder value. It seems, at least in the U.S., that there is no real emphasis placed on merchandise or advertising.

How does that compare to Hudson Bay Co.?

(Message edited by HYSTERIA on July 28, 2006)
Top of pageBottom of page

Miketoronto
Member
Username: Miketoronto

Post Number: 220
Registered: 07-2004
Posted From: 65.95.58.173
Posted on Friday, July 28, 2006 - 12:25 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Well the downtown SEARS store carries some brands that Hudson's Bay does. However the suburban stores are different.

Now Hudson's Bay, they have been doing a great job with the downtown Toronto store. They have renovated each floor a little at a time, and the store is looking better then ever. They are holding events. Last year they did one of the best window displays for Christmas in years, and had different events like Thai weekend, where the store was turned into a Thai vacation, with Thai food, clothing, etc.

Now we just have to see how the new owner who just bought out HBC does. They say he really wants to fix up the downtown store even more and make like the 1950's when you came downtown just to see SIMPSONS(which is what The Hudson's Bay store use to be). However we gotta worry that he might downsize the store also, because its a million sq feet.

Anyway all I can say, is that up to now HBC has done a great job with restoring the downtown stores. Their only sad job so far, is they downsized the downtown Winnipeg store from like 6 floors down to three. But downtown Winnipeg is in some rough shape retail wise.
Top of pageBottom of page

Miketoronto
Member
Username: Miketoronto

Post Number: 221
Registered: 07-2004
Posted From: 65.95.58.173
Posted on Friday, July 28, 2006 - 12:29 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

You know with all the talk of the demise of the department store. One thing I find interesting is how certain stores are thriving.

It almost seems that the deparment stores that did not have branches in every friggen mall, etc are doing great or alteast o.k.

London, Ontario has a family run downtown department store. Even in downtown London which has had some tough times, the store does fine. Its the only store the family runs, and a couple years ago they even expanded the store. Think of that, a department store expanding in this day and age. But they do fine.

BOSCOVS in the USA. They are a small family run chain. They are doing great, and are even thinking of opening a store in downtown Philly in the vacated STARWBRIDGES store.

Selfriges and many of the Paris department stores. They are doing great and expanding their stores, etc. Again, these places only have one or just a couple stores. Not branches everywhere.

So yeah I am sure there are more smaller deparment stores with just one or two locations, etc that are doing fine.

I think the massive expansion of chain department stores is what killed them off. Because they can't focus like the old downtown stores did on one or two locations.
Top of pageBottom of page

Hysteria
Member
Username: Hysteria

Post Number: 936
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 152.163.100.8
Posted on Friday, July 28, 2006 - 6:55 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

That is partially true. Mainly, people moving to the suburbs started the great decline. The department stores opened locations in the suburbs as the customer base shifted. The early branch stores, for example, Hudson's Eastland and Northland, are quite large compared to typical department stores built today. Of course, they were planned to co-exist with the flagship store, not kill it.

Smaller cities with less competition from malls can support the old-school downtown department stores.
Top of pageBottom of page

Krapug
Member
Username: Krapug

Post Number: 44
Registered: 12-2003
Posted From: 24.188.92.110
Posted on Friday, July 28, 2006 - 8:09 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Boscov's is a great American succsess story.
They are a chain of what will soon be 50 + full line traditional department stores. You can buy a washer/dryer, golf clubs and a suit in one trip. They also have community rooms in almost all their stores and they hold classes under the name "Boscov's University".

Their chairman in a recent interview made a very astute remark about the decline of the American department store. He stated that starting in the late 70's too many retailers started to worry about what each other was doing, instead of focusing on what their customers wanted.

Ken

www.boscovs.com
Top of pageBottom of page

Krapug
Member
Username: Krapug

Post Number: 45
Registered: 12-2003
Posted From: 24.188.92.110
Posted on Wednesday, August 02, 2006 - 12:55 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Just as a followup, Macy's did open it's Center City store today on 3 floors of the former John Wanamaker flagship.

Now heres the scary part, despite stating that they are happy to finally have a store downtown (Center City), and expect the store to propser with Center City's new residential construction and populations gains, the store is strictly a "soft lines" store.
Meaning no domestics, houswares, china, giftware, furniture and the like. Despite the fact that more than 1/2 of the giant 3rd floor sits unused (as it did when the store was a Lord and Taylor).

Translation, Center City residents will still drive to the "malls" to do complete shopping. In fact center City has MANY clothing stores (of all price ranges), but it does not have many stores to buy sheets, towels, dinnerware and the like.

Macy's, Way NOT to shop.

Metro Detroit, and Chicago BEWARE, Macy's is heading for you.
What stupid things will they do to you.

Ken
Top of pageBottom of page

Hysteria
Member
Username: Hysteria

Post Number: 1013
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 216.223.168.132
Posted on Wednesday, August 02, 2006 - 1:33 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Maybe that'll change. Bloomingdale's recently opened a furniture-only store at the Medinah Temple in downtown Chicago to accompany the store at 900 N Michigan.
Top of pageBottom of page

Miketoronto
Member
Username: Miketoronto

Post Number: 229
Registered: 07-2004
Posted From: 65.95.57.64
Posted on Wednesday, August 02, 2006 - 3:35 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The Lord and Taylor in Philly I don't think sold things other then clothing either.

That is sad. They have such a goldmine store sitting there if they used it to its advantage. Instead they just want to promote people to go to King of Prussia Mall in suburban Philly.

No wonder these downtown stores have problems. Its because they are no batter then branch stores if not worse, because they dont carry half the things they should.
Top of pageBottom of page

Miketoronto
Member
Username: Miketoronto

Post Number: 230
Registered: 07-2004
Posted From: 65.95.57.64
Posted on Wednesday, August 02, 2006 - 3:50 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

For some great videos of the old Wanamaker store now MACY'S check out this link
http://cbs3.com/topstories/loc al_story_213214317.html
Top of pageBottom of page

Krapug
Member
Username: Krapug

Post Number: 46
Registered: 12-2003
Posted From: 24.191.57.248
Posted on Wednesday, August 02, 2006 - 8:12 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The new Center City Macy's is barely a day old and already people are not happy.

They at least could have the signs read "Macy's Fashion Store"

Perhaps Federated already planned this, so when sales fall below trend they could simply close the store and say, oh well we tried.

www.phillyblog.com
Top of pageBottom of page

Miketoronto
Member
Username: Miketoronto

Post Number: 231
Registered: 07-2004
Posted From: 65.95.235.28
Posted on Wednesday, August 02, 2006 - 8:37 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Not really. While some department stores have closed downtown stores on purpose. I think MACY'S is in the long haul for this one.

Centre City is rebounding really well, and who would not want a location in Centre City along with all the other famous retailers like Tiffany's, etc. I think this store will do fine. It may not be as famous as the King of Prussia stores, since it is smaller. But I don't think it will be a money loser.
And MACY'S would not have spent so much renovating and stuff, if they wanted to close it.
Top of pageBottom of page

Hysteria
Member
Username: Hysteria

Post Number: 1026
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 64.12.116.204
Posted on Wednesday, August 02, 2006 - 8:44 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Does Centre City have a website? I have not been there. Thanks
Top of pageBottom of page

Miketoronto
Member
Username: Miketoronto

Post Number: 232
Registered: 07-2004
Posted From: 65.95.235.28
Posted on Wednesday, August 02, 2006 - 9:04 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

By the way, MACY'S will be adding a houswares section and other sections in 2007. They right now are renovating parts of the third floor that Lord and Taylor had closed off to merchandise. Once the rest of the floor is fininished they will bring in more merchandise.

They are also opening one of the old restaurants to hold Christmas displays from the Strawbridges Store.
Top of pageBottom of page

Hysteria
Member
Username: Hysteria

Post Number: 1027
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 64.12.116.204
Posted on Wednesday, August 02, 2006 - 9:17 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

How do you know all of this?
Top of pageBottom of page

Miketoronto
Member
Username: Miketoronto

Post Number: 233
Registered: 07-2004
Posted From: 65.95.235.28
Posted on Wednesday, August 02, 2006 - 9:18 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I know this from a Philly forum. One of the forumers works for MACY'S.
Top of pageBottom of page

Hysteria
Member
Username: Hysteria

Post Number: 1028
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 64.12.116.204
Posted on Wednesday, August 02, 2006 - 9:20 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Cool. The same forum Krapug linked?
Top of pageBottom of page

Kathleen
Member
Username: Kathleen

Post Number: 1476
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 69.14.122.57
Posted on Wednesday, August 02, 2006 - 9:25 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

They must have been removing the Marshall Field's banner and so uncovering the Macy's sign on the store at the Somerset Collection (where I infrequently shop at Crate and Barrel, Williams-Sonoma, and Ritz Camera only) around 7pm Wednesday evening.

(Message edited by Kathleen on August 03, 2006)
Top of pageBottom of page

Miketoronto
Member
Username: Miketoronto

Post Number: 234
Registered: 07-2004
Posted From: 65.95.58.36
Posted on Wednesday, August 02, 2006 - 10:45 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The Wanamaker Store(now MACY'S) Grand Court and Organ in Center City Philly.

Top of pageBottom of page

Hysteria
Member
Username: Hysteria

Post Number: 1030
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 64.12.116.204
Posted on Wednesday, August 02, 2006 - 10:55 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I remember reading about the Wanamaker Organ in US History in 11th grade. That is amazing.
Top of pageBottom of page

Miketoronto
Member
Username: Miketoronto

Post Number: 236
Registered: 07-2004
Posted From: 65.95.232.30
Posted on Thursday, August 03, 2006 - 12:39 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Check this out. It is sad, but check out the inside of that store. This is a clip from the closing of Strawbridges Center City Philly. Sad sad sad.

MACY'S has closed down a store that was doing fine.

http://cbs3.com/video/?id=2656 2@kyw.dayport.com

http://cbs3.com/video/?id=2657 0@kyw.dayport.com
Top of pageBottom of page

Patrick
Member
Username: Patrick

Post Number: 3526
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 65.222.10.3
Posted on Thursday, August 03, 2006 - 4:11 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Eastland's MF was a fucking dump. They better get their shit together like all the other locations. It was so worn and old. looked like you were walking into 1989 every time. Major time warp.
Top of pageBottom of page

Hysteria
Member
Username: Hysteria

Post Number: 1045
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 216.223.168.132
Posted on Thursday, August 03, 2006 - 4:51 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

So worn and old ... but SO HUGE!
Top of pageBottom of page

Hysteria
Member
Username: Hysteria

Post Number: 1094
Registered: 02-2006
Posted From: 216.223.168.132
Posted on Thursday, August 10, 2006 - 2:48 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

This is it for other Federated stores

By Anne D'Innocenzio
Associated Press
Published August 10, 2006


NEW YORK -- Federated is betting it can change how shoppers feel about department stores as it absorbs former May Co. shops and turns its Macy's chain into a national brand with more than 800 stores.

Federated Department Stores Inc., now commanding about 25 percent of the U.S. department store business, based on figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, is using its increased clout to develop more exclusive merchandise and attract younger shoppers with new features such as vending machines that sell iPods.

Macy's first national TV and print advertising campaign will break Sept. 9, when more than 400 stores acquired when it bought May Department Stores Co. a year ago--including such homegrown names as Hecht's, Foley's, Filene's and Marshall Field's--are officially converted to Macy's.

So far, the Federated-May combination is on track. Federated, which also operates 40 Bloomingdale's stores, reported on Wednesday better-than expected second-quarter results and raised its second-half profit forecast. Shares rose 2 percent, or 67 cents, to close at $34.46 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Still, the $22 billion behemoth retailer faces a tough battle on price from discounters including Target Corp. and on customer service from specialty stores such as Chico's FAS Inc. as it seeks to hold on to former May customers and attract new ones.

"The big challenge is to hold on to the local loyalty factor while changing the name and changing the format to achieve success nationwide," said Janet Hoffman, managing partner of the North American retail division of Accenture, a consulting firm.

"It's the lack of pizazz that has hurt department stores," Hoffman noted. Yet, she added, the comfort of having a local store has enabled "department stores to hang on to a thread."

Terry Lundgren, CEO, president and chairman of Federated, says he's unfazed by the challenge.

"Macy's will be the largest seller of all the important brands," said Lundgren, in a recent interview. "These are affordable luxury. This is not Gucci or Prada. And we are going to be catering to a large cross-section of the American population."

Lundgren emphasized that Federated is not adopting a cookie-cutter merchandising approach. Federated's seven regional headquarters will do the buying and planning regionally, but there will be some differences from store to store, Lundgren said.

For example, there will be upgraded merchandise at the Foley's in the NorthPark Center in Dallas, and Filene's site in Chestnut Hill, Mass.--places with demographics that can support higher-end products. Meanwhile, the Hecht's site in Marlow Heights, Md., and a Filene's location in Meriden, Conn., will continue to have a moderate-price focus, though more fashionable merchandise.

Jackie Bogue, a customer at the Famous-Barr store in the Galleria in St. Louis, said she drives more than 70 miles from her home in Bowling Green, Mo., to shop at the store, which will have a more upscale focus as a Macy's.

"I was buying the higher-end things at Famous-Barr, so it wouldn't bother me," she said.

Federated's sales had been sluggish at about $15.5 billion for the four years before the May acquisition, which boosted its total revenue to $22.39 billion for the last fiscal year. Meanwhile, May had lagged behind competitors like Federated because it failed to come up with compelling merchandise and instead resorted to aggressive price cutting.

Through July, Federated has averaged 2.4 percent in same-store sales growth since the fiscal year began in February. Same-store sales are considered a key barometer of a retailer's health.

But Federated said Wednesday it expects same-store sales, or sales at stores open at least a year, to rise between 3 percent and 5 percent in the last two quarters of 2006, up from an earlier forecast of 2 percent to 4 percent.

In a conference call with analysts, Karen Hoguet, Federated's chief financial officer, said the company had hoped for slightly higher sales at the former May stores, whose business has lagged because of all the disruptions, but their performance was within expectations.

For the quarter ended July 29, Federated reported net income of $317 million, or 57 cents per share, versus a prior-year profit of $148 million, or 42 cents per share. Revenue nearly doubled, to roughly $6 billion from $3.62 billion in the year-earlier period.

Excluding costs of the May integration and other adjustments, earnings were 49 cents per share, beating a 44-cent estimate among analysts polled by Thomson Financial.

Federated forecast third-quarter earnings of 15 to 20 cents a share and $1.40 to $1.50 per share for the fourth quarter, up from a previous view of $1.50 to $1.62 per share for the combined periods

Federated is capitalizing on its increased clout with vendors to strike exclusive partnerships with fashion brands, a key strategy to set itself apart from rivals. Macy's will also be expanding its store label business, key names such as INC and Charter Club, which have grown three times faster than branded products over the past four years.

Among the new Macy's exclusives is a new line from designer Elie Tahari called T Tahari, coming this fall. Starting in February, Macy's will have exclusive rights to sell O Oscar, an affordable collection from Oscar de la Renta.

A big thrust in Macy's home area will be an exclusive Martha Stewart collection, to make its debut in fall 2007. Lundgren conceived the idea of having up to 3,000-square-foot house environments, developed by KB Homes, at Macy's Herald Square flagship in New York, Macy's Union Square store in San Francisco, and the Marshall Field's State Street location in Chicago.

Lundgren acknowledged fierce competition from the likes of Target and J.C. Penney, which are offering trendier fashions at lower prices, but he believes Federated's store experience will give it an edge.

To attract younger shoppers, Macy's is counting on self-serve vending machines, which will offer iPods and eventually other popular consumer electronics. The displays are being rolled out at 180 Macy's stores this fall. Macy's year-old shopping Web site aimed at teens, called thisit.com, will also have more power because it can be marketed across Macy's stores on a national basis.

In recent years, Federated has been enlarging fitting rooms and adding television and seating areas. From 2006 to 2008, Federated said it plans to spend as much as $4 billion on in-store improvements at the former May Co. locations.

Lundgren also has had to deal with some emotional fallout among some shoppers from the conversion of 11 former May nameplates, ending an era of having homegrown department stores in such major cities as Washington and Chicago. The worst came from Chicago, where Marshall Field's flagship has been a century-old fixture, though resistance has subsided, Lundgren said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/ business/chi-0608100205aug10,1 ,264118.story?coll=chi-busines s-hed

Add Your Message Here
Posting is currently disabled in this topic. Contact your discussion moderator for more information.