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Whitman School Retail Experts React to Macy's Shake-Ups

Macy鈥檚 is downsizing. The legacy retail company announced plans to close 150 stores over the next several years to focus on its more successful stores and ventures. According to reports, the department store chain has not disclosed exact locations that will close.

Ray in front of white and grey background
Ray Wimer

is a professor of retail practice in 网爆门鈥檚 Martin J. Whitman School of Management. He leads courses on retail, buying and planning, marketing, sales, and business foundations.

Professor Wimer provides written comments below that can be quoted directly and he is available for interviews.

Wimer says:

鈥淢acy鈥檚 recent news of store closings and revamping existing stores while expanding their luxury brands is their latest strategy to turn their fortunes around. Macy鈥檚 needs to elevate their in-store experience and focus on their own private label brands to really move the needle for them. If they can instill confidence in their private label brands that they offer superiority or differentiation聽to what is in the marketplace and in enhance the customer experience in store it could work. Their focus seems to be opening more Bloomingdale鈥檚 and trying to capture the luxury market which is experiencing its own difficulties at this time.鈥

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woman looking into camera
Shelley Kohan

is a retail industry instructor with 网爆门鈥檚 Martin J. Whitman School of Management. She is a highly accomplished and driven senior retail executive and consultant with more than 25 years of success in the retail industry.

Professor Kohan also provides comments below and is also available for interviews.

Kohan says:

“Macy’s announcement to close 150 stores is based on its strategy to focus on long-term profits. The goal is to open more Bloomingdale’s stores, Blue Mercury stores,聽and its small-format neighborhood Macy’s stores.聽 Macy’s sales were down 5.5% in 2023 compared to 2022.

“As a category, department stores had a 5.1% drop in sales in January and ended the fiscal year down 3.3%. Department store sales in 2023 were under where sales were before the pandemic.”

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Associate Director of Media Relations
Division of Communications

M听315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu |

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