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Macy's in Indianapolis is the result of four Lazarus stores, five or six Block's stores and six Ayres stores. Out of all those stores, only two Lazarus stores and one Ayres store is still open. You have to be an arsonist to burn that kind of money up in market after market. And these people get millions of dollars and bonuses for doing this without being held to account.
Columbus? LOL.
-Downtown
-Northland
-Eastland
-Westland
-Kingsdale - Soon to be a Kroger
-Reed & Henderson - Former Tempo/Buckeye Mart, now Marc's and a Fitness Club
(See https://www.facebook.com/groups/tempobuckeye/ )
-Westerville Square - Now a Walmart
-Town & Country - Target and Kroger are in that center
-Lancaster - now Dicks
-Newark - now Dicks
-Zanesville - ?
ALL CLOSED
In fairness, Tuttle, Polaris and Easton do well ........ BUT YOU WENT FROM ELEVEN STORES DOWN TO THREE!!!!! And they are all located in the northern quarter of the Columbus market. NOTHING to the southeast or southwest.
LOL!
And what about all that May Company market share they frittered away? Arsonists!
You are paid the big bucks either grow the company or to make a lot of money for shareholders in the form of dividends. Terry Lundgren has done neither.
Macy's only future is to liquidate or to go back into the Gold Circle business, which would be very tough to do at this juncture.
I would seriously look at buying Kmart and Shopko if I were them, do some massive remodeling and put Gold Circle back in business. That's the only future I see for this company.
This region would kill to have Gold Circle again and it was very well regarded in New York (they were in Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo). The same things Macy's sells, with a little more classic styling, sold in a Gold Circle format (with groceries). Add back appliances, hardware, H&B ... the kinds of things that generate repeat visits. I think this is a winner.
In Columbus, some of the Macy's stores were former Kaufmann's stores acquired from May Co. in addition to Lazarus. At Tuttle Crossing Mall, the merger resulted in 2 Macy's stores, although one has now closed. I am not sure if the original Lazarus or the original Kaufmann's remains open. Kaufmann's was very similar to the Hecht's division of May Co. and they carried the same house brands. The John Ashford and Karen Scott brands were retained by Macy's, although the quality in some cases may have declined.
Metro Atlanta has actually only "lost" two Macy's (originally Atlanta based Rich's stores) of the nearly twenty Rich's they had before consolidation (North Dekalb and Cobb Center). What they have really lost, however, is market share. Before kicking out the premium Rich's name, those stores had much higher sales volume and a store that a MAJORITY of Atlantans utilized. Part of Macy's problem, I believe was image. Atlanta was one of the few markets that had Macy's AND Rich's stores. Being the "hometown" chain, Rich's was decidedly more upscale even in the suburbs, much less uptown at their former flagship store at Lenox Square. Rich's, Lenox Square had offerings more akin to Bloomingdale's than Macy's. Macy's came into Atlanta in the mid 1980's when they rebadged their Davison's stores they had owned for decades. They remained a fairly upscale southern division of Macy's until Federated bought Macy's in the mid 1990's.
As I said, Rich's was left as the more "upscale" division, even at their suburban stores, and Macy's was more downscale (think "Penny's with Polo" or like the way smalltown Belk stores are merchandised across the South.) By the time of the hyphenated Rich's-Macy's consolidated stores, none of the Macy's (former Davison's) stores had been remodeled in a decade and most Rich's stores had been constantly updated. That is why the Rich's stores across Metro Atlanta almost always held the the consolidated store, while the Macy's usually was sold or simply went dark. The only legacy Davison's store still open is at Northlake Mall where there NEVER was a Rich's in the first place. (Rich's was at nearby smaller North Dekalb Mall)
Macy's could survive, I think, by buying back LOTS of goodwill and simply bringing back the legacy nameplates, or at least the customer service that used to be the hallmark of a department store. Smaller divisions that could concentrate on local tastes also could help. Spin off former divisions into smaller companies that could be nimble and react to local trends?
In Atlanta, the original Davison's/Macy's store at Lenox Square became Bloomingdale's, and the Rich's-Macy's is now the flagship Macy's in Atlanta. It remains a nice store with large assortments, however the Rich's name is much missed, and quality control may have declined. Across the street, the large Parisian at Phipp's Plaza is now a Belk flagship store. I believe the Parisian in Cincinati was not retained by Belk and became either Bon-Ton or Elder-Beerman.
Rich's and Lazarus were both part of the same division of Federated before the Macy's merger, and had similar merchandise and assortments.
I am not sure how the current Macy's divisions are divided. The original New York division extends from Northern Virginia to NYC and includes legacy Macy's and former Hecht's, Strawbridge's, Wannamaker, Kaufmann's, and possibly Filene's stores. In the Midwest, the Macy's division includes former Lazarus, Kaufmann's, L.S. Ayers, and Famous-Barr stores among others. And most famously in Chicago and neighboring states, Marshall Field's was very popular and had a devoted loyal following. In Texas, they were Foley's, and in California Robinson's-May. In Oregon Meier and Frank, and Washington state they were Bon-Marche. In the Carolinas and Georgia, they were Hecht's and Rich's. And in Florida, they were Burdine's, known as "the Florida store." Also a loyal regional following there.
Perhaps keeping the hyphenated names such as Rich's-Macy's, Lazarus-Macy's, and Burdine's-Macy's would have been a better idea. And in Chicago, they should have remained Marshall Field's, which was actually a bit more upscale than Macy's and a nice balance between Macy's and Bloomingdale's. There have been major protests and boycotts since the conversion to Macy's in Chicago.
In Columbus, some of the Macy's stores were former Kaufmann's stores acquired from May Co. in addition to Lazarus. At Tuttle Crossing Mall, the merger resulted in 2 Macy's stores, although one has now closed. I am not sure if the original Lazarus or the original Kaufmann's remains open. Kaufmann's was very similar to the Hecht's division of May Co. and they carried the same house brands. The John Ashford and Karen Scott brands were retained by Macy's, although the quality in some cases may have declined.
This is just a wild guess, but I'm guessing they kept the Kauffman's store running at Tuttle all these years because of mall covenants. They either had to run the store or sell it to a competitor. Had they sold it to a competitor, that mall would be better off today.
They tore down most of the Kaufmann's at Polaris and remade it into a lifestyle center.
They kept the Downtown store running for a while but eventually closed it.
They moved from the legacy Lazarus store at Eastland to the new Kauffman's store at Eastland. They just closed that store earlier this year. Sears is the last anchor at that mall and it's closing September 3.
Kaufmann's seemed like a step down from Lazarus, but I liked it. I liked their house brand stuff a lot better than I like Macy's house brands.
I believe the Parisian in Cincinati was not retained by Belk and became either Bon-Ton or Elder-Beerman.
I don't remember what happened to Parisians in Cincinnati. I do know that the Detroit Parisians, along with Indy and Beavercreek, went to Bonton. Elder Beerman ran two stores at Beavercreek for a while but recently closed the Parisian building, which was demolished to become add an outdoor component (just like with Kaufmann's at Polaris, which is owned by the same developer).
That Kaufmann's at Polaris was a nice modern store. Perhaps they should have converted it to their Bloomingdale's brand. But I am sure it is nice as a lifestyle center with more variety, but I have not visited there recently.
In Virginia, they had 2 full service Macy's at Far Oaks Mall in Fairfax. One was an original Macy's that had previously been Lord and Taylor. The other was an original large Hecht's. Both were kept open as full service Macy's since the merger in 2006. Not sure if one has now been closed or converted to a separate Men's or Home store.
And in neighboring Tyson's Corner, there are 2 huge full service Macy's across the street from each other. In Tyson's 1 Center there is a former large Hecht's, and in Tyson's 2 Galleria there is an original New York division Macy's. It is a nice large store that was originally more upscale. The Tyson's 2 store was just sold back to the mall owner and Macy's now leases the space rather than owns the building. But there is speculation that nice store may eventually close, as I believe Tyson's 1 now has the larger sales volume.
This is just a wild guess, but I'm guessing they kept the Kauffman's store running at Tuttle all these years because of mall covenants. They either had to run the store or sell it to a competitor. Had they sold it to a competitor, that mall would be better off today.
They tore down most of the Kaufmann's at Polaris and remade it into a lifestyle center.
They kept the Downtown store running for a while but eventually closed it.
They moved from the legacy Lazarus store at Eastland to the new Kauffman's store at Eastland. They just closed that store earlier this year. Sears is the last anchor at that mall and it's closing September 3.
Kaufmann's seemed like a step down from Lazarus, but I liked it. I liked their house brand stuff a lot better than I like Macy's house brands.
In men's clothing, Kaufmann's and Hecht's house brands were John Ashford, Claybrook, and Brandini. The Brandini was a more modern, trendy style, whereas the other 2 were more conservative and traditional. They were good quality. Macy's retained John Ashford from May Co. but it is now more of a lower end brand and lesser quality.
Macy's men's brands remain Alfani, INC, Tasso Elba, Club Room, and now John Ashford. Alfani and INC are the more modern style, and the others are more traditional. I like the Alfani and Tasso Elba, and I am not opposed to polyester. It is now more widely used and does not necessarily look cheap or tacky. Depends upon the style. But the Tasso Elba men's supima cotton polo shirts are very nice and a good fit. Nice conservative colors or bright and colorful if you prefer. And some assortments are now cotton/polyester blend, and they tend to hold their shape better and do not wrinkle as bad coming out of the laundry.
Back to Kroger. Who are their major competitors in Ohio? I guess Walmart and Meijer? I really like the Meijer superstores and think they are nicer than Walmart. But they have not moved south of Richmond, Kentucky so they are not a national player. Just mainly the Midwest. Also I guess maybe Giant Eagle in parts of Ohio, but not to be confused with the 2 Giant brands in Pennsylvania and Maryland and Virginia owned by Ahold. The Giant Landover division is a good supermarket and I have often wondered why they don't merge with the Carlisle division, which also includes Martin's.
That Kaufmann's at Polaris was a nice modern store. Perhaps they should have converted it to their Bloomingdale's brand. But I am sure it is nice as a lifestyle center with more variety, but I have not visited there recently.
That was a nice store, but I like the Lazarus store better. They made the right decision not to keep it. Bloomingdales is too Chic for this market. Besides, that mall had Lord and Taylor and Saks. Bloomingdales would be overkill.
I remember one of the Lazaruses, when they ran Federated, explaining why the didn't bring Bloomingdales to Ohio. He said that 80% or 85% of the stuff they sell is the same and most of that other 20% is just too expensive for these markets.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tylerSC
Back to Kroger. Who are their major competitors in Ohio? I guess Walmart and Meijer? I really like the Meijer superstores and think they are nicer than Walmart. But they have not moved south of Richmond, Kentucky so they are not a national player. Just mainly the Midwest. Also I guess maybe Giant Eagle in parts of Ohio, but not to be confused with the 2 Giant brands in Pennsylvania and Maryland and Virginia owned by Ahold. The Giant Landover division is a good supermarket and I have often wondered why they don't merge with the Carlisle division, which also includes Martin's.
Giant Eagle only has major overlap with Kroger in Columbus. Giant Eagle seems to do well in Columbus, but they are no threat to Kroger at all. I think it is also telling that Giant Eagle didn't buy any of the Marsh stores that were for sale in Indy. It probably wasn't worth it to them. Meijer has started moving into the Cleveland area, so that's going to take a chunk of GE's sales.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Giant Eagle sell out to Kroger at some point. If I were the family that owns the company, I would hate for all of my financial eggs to be in one basket, that of a small supermarket owner. That company could disappear with a snap of the fingers.
Nothing against Giant Eagle, they are well run. I like their store a lot and their gas perks. It's just that the supermarket business is tough. They're lucky they're not competing with Kroger in their other markets.
Last edited by PerryMason614; 08-21-2017 at 11:03 AM..
Back to Kroger. Who are their major competitors in Ohio? I guess Walmart and Meijer? I really like the Meijer superstores and think they are nicer than Walmart. But they have not moved south of Richmond, Kentucky so they are not a national player. Just mainly the Midwest. Also I guess maybe Giant Eagle in parts of Ohio, but not to be confused with the 2 Giant brands in Pennsylvania and Maryland and Virginia owned by Ahold. The Giant Landover division is a good supermarket and I have often wondered why they don't merge with the Carlisle division, which also includes Martin's.
The major competitors to Kroger in Nashville are Publix, Walmart, and Aldi. Target doesn't have a huge presence in the area, as only two of the stores are Super Targets. Meijer provides some competition in Bowling Green with talks of entering the Nashville Market.
The major competitors to Macy's are Belk and Dillard's. Von Maur has looked at entering the Nashville area, but has given no timeline for entry. Nashville lacks high end department stores.
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