Macy's on the way -- start the parade

Nearly half of store merchandise will be new under Macy's.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
Area Kaufmann's stores will be renamed Macy's on Sept. 9, but shoppers may notice other changes sooner.
Macy's private label brands soon will begin replacing current lines at the stores, said John Harper, vice chairman and director of stores for Macy's Midwest division. The first new brands will appear in home furnishings.
The changes stem from last year's sale of May Department Stores, Kaufmann's parent company. Federated Department Stores, which owns Macy's, bought May and is integrating its operating companies.
That means the Kaufmann's name will disappear Sept. 9 from stores in the Southern Park, Eastwood and Shenango Valley malls. Ceremonies are being planned.
In the meantime, Macy's officials are working on changes to the stores.
Between 40 percent and 50 percent of the merchandise in the stores will be different, Harper said.
"It will be a very big difference when you walk through the door," he said.
Most of the new items will be Macy's private labels. Two of Kaufmann's labels -- Karen Scott for women and John Ashford for men -- will be retained, however.
William McNamara, chairman of the Midwest division, said Thursday those lines will serve as the opening price point for Macy's stores. Shoppers have said they are concerned that Macy's will bring "New York prices" to local stores, and these lines will show that Macy's wants to keep its lines affordable, he said.
New labels
Macy's will introduce five new labels in each of these categories -- women's clothing, men's clothing and home furnishings.
The new labels will range from Inc., a brand with cutting-edge fashions, to Charter Club and Club Room, brands that feature classic designs.
McNamara said Macy's positions itself as an option between Nordstrom's on the high end and JC Penney and Kohl's on the lower end.
Work on the stores themselves also will begin soon, including rearranging displays to make aisles wider and installing brighter lighting, Harper said. New store fixtures will be added to highlight the displays of the new brands.
Other store upgrades -- including larger fitting rooms and renovated restrooms -- will be completed in coming years, he said.
Customers who have a Kaufmann's credit card are to receive a Macy's Star Rewards card in August.
Macy's now has more than 800 stores nationwide. Cincinnati-based Federated also owns Bloomingdale's and other chains. Besides Kaufmann's, other May stores that are disappearing include Marshall Field's and L.S. Ayres.
shilling@vindy.com