Federated-May merger: Debacle on Washington Street?

By Ron Newman - 2/28/05 - 12:36 am

If this article proves to be accurate, Federated Department Stores (owner of Macy's, formerly Jordan Marsh) is about to swallow up May Department Stores (owner of Filene's).

Federated has spent the past few years building up a national Macy's brand name at the expense of former local store names such as Jordan Marsh, Goldsmith's, Lazarus, and Rich's. That doesn't augur well for the future of Filene's. We could soon have a huge, empty, historic department store in the center of town, not to mention what happens to lots of suburban shopping malls.

Frankly, I can't see any upside to this. Can it be stopped?

Comments

Come on, Filene's

By Jay Levitt (not verified) - 2/28/05 - 5:25 am

#1

This article gives an in-depth look at the history of local department stores and their demise, from the D.C. perspective:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58277-2005Feb27.html

Interestingly, they view Hecht's as having nothing to offer today's consumer, but I always found Hecht's (and thus now Filene's) to have a much broader and more reliable mens' department than Macy's; they generally have a better Claiborne, Perry Ellis, and M.E. Sport selection, for sure.

I guess, going by the article, I must not be very fashionable. Yet the Macy's in Natick seems to trend toward Kenneth Cole, which always looks good on the rack but ridiculous on me, and the rest of the department is really not all that stylish from an over-20 perspective - some bargain-basement copies of ME Sport, and lots of Tommy Hilfiger.

BOYCOT MACYS

By jonallen - 3/1/05 - 2:21 pm

#2

FILENE'S was always there for me, no matter how dreadful the xmas shopping was elswhere. I got beautiful fitted shirts, nice ties and pants, etcetera. MACYS SUCKS by comparison. Let Federated know how you feel about them. Walk on by.
Peace.
Jon Allen

I, too miss Filene's.

By Miki - 3/3/05 - 6:43 pm

#3

Filene's was always a good place to go. Too bad it's been swallowed up or put out of business by other dept. stores. I never go to Macy's anyhow--I always walk by them.