Macy's facts for kids
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Formerly
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R. H. Macy & Co. |
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | October 28, 1858 in New York City, U.S. |
| Founder | Rowland Hussey Macy |
| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Number of locations
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508 |
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Areas served
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United States Puerto Rico Guam U.S. Virgin Islands (coming soon) |
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Key people
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Tony Spring (Chairman/CEO) |
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| Parent | Macy's, Inc. (1994–present) |
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Macy's is a famous American department store chain. It was started in 1858 by Rowland Hussey Macy. Today, it's a sister brand to Bloomingdale's. Both are owned by a company called Macy's, Inc.. Macy's is one of the biggest department store companies in the United States.
Macy's has 508 stores across the U.S. Its most famous store, called the flagship store, is in Herald Square in New York City. This huge store covers almost a whole city block. It has about 1.1 million square feet of space for shopping.
Macy's is also known for two big events in New York City. It has put on the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade since 1924. It has also sponsored the city's yearly Fourth of July fireworks show since 1976. In 2021, Macy's announced that Toys "R" Us would open smaller stores inside many Macy's locations starting in 2022.
Contents
How Macy's Began
The First Stores (1800s)
Rowland Hussey Macy tried opening a few stores before Macy's. He learned from his earlier tries. In 1858, he opened "R. H. Macy & Co." in New York City. On its first day, October 28, 1858, the store made $11.08. This would be worth much more money today!
At first, Macy's used a rooster as its symbol. The famous red star logo didn't appear until 1862. As the store grew, Macy's added more departments. It used fun ways to attract customers, like having a store Santa Claus. They also had cool window displays and offered a money-back guarantee.
In 1875, Macy took on two partners. Rowland Macy passed away in 1877. His family owned the company until 1895. Then, two brothers, Isidor and Nathan Straus, bought the company. They had already been selling china inside Macy's.
Growing in the 1900s
Building Macy's Herald Square
In 1902, the main Macy's store moved to Herald Square in New York City. This new location was far from other big stores. So, Macy's offered a special wagon to take customers there.
The Herald Square store started as one building. But it quickly grew to cover almost a whole city block. There was one small building that Macy's couldn't buy. So, Macy's simply built around it! This small building still stands today. It even has Macy's "shopping bag" sign on it.
Sadly, in 1912, Isidor Straus and his wife, Ida, died when the Titanic sank. The Herald Square building was designed by famous architects. It has been updated many times over the years. In 2012, Macy's began a big renovation of this iconic store. The building became a National Historic Landmark in 1978.
Expanding Across the Country
In the 1960s, Macy's started building stores outside of New York City. One unique store was a round building in Elmhurst, New York. Macy's also bought other department store chains. This helped Macy's grow into new areas.
For example, Macy's bought stores in Toledo, Atlanta, Newark, and San Francisco. These stores eventually changed their names to Macy's. By the 1980s, Macy's was opening stores in places like Florida, Houston, and Dallas.
Macy's Under New Ownership
Changes and Growth (1994–2005)
In 1994, R. H. Macy & Co. joined with another big company called Federated Department Stores. After this, Macy's headquarters moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Federated then closed some luxury stores and changed others to Macy's.
Federated continued to buy more store chains. This included Abraham & Straus and Jordan Marsh stores in New York and New England. These also became Macy's stores. In 1996, Federated bought Broadway Stores in California and other western states. Most of these stores became Macy's too.
In 2000, Macy's opened its first store in Puerto Rico. In 2001, more stores in the New York area became Macy's. Federated also changed the names of other regional stores to Macy's. By 2005, Macy's had 424 stores across the U.S.
Big Mergers (2005–2006)
In 2005, Federated bought The May Department Stores Company. This was a huge deal! It made Federated the second-largest department store chain in the country. Federated decided to change the names of 330 May Company stores to Macy's.
This included famous stores like Marshall Field's in Chicago and Kaufmann's. Many people were upset because these stores were beloved local places. Some customers even said they would stop shopping at the renamed stores.
To celebrate this big expansion, Macy's used a popular song in its ads. They also took props from their annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to the newly named stores. This was called "Parade on Parade."
Macy's Today
Modern Changes (2007–Present)
In 2007, Federated Department Stores changed its name to Macy's, Inc.. This showed how important the Macy's brand had become. The company still runs both Macy's and Bloomingdale's stores.
Macy's started using more TV ads and showing its stores in TV shows. In 2009, Macy's opened new "lifestyle" stores. These stores are smaller and designed to fit better in outdoor malls. They have things like Starbucks cafes and comfy fitting rooms.
In 2014, Macy's announced plans to open its first store outside the U.S. in Abu Dhabi. However, this plan was later canceled.
Recent Developments
In 2015, Macy's announced it would close some stores. This was to help the company save money. In 2016, Macy's said it would close 100 more stores. They wanted to focus on online shopping and improving their remaining stores.
In 2016, Macy's opened an Apple Store inside its flagship Herald Square location. This was the first time a department store hosted an Apple store.
Macy's has also been making changes to its products. In 2019, they announced they would stop selling fur products by the end of 2020. In 2023, they also decided to stop selling leather goods made from exotic animal skins.
In 2020, Macy's moved all its main offices to New York City. In 2021, Macy's partnered with Toys "R" Us to open toy shops inside Macy's stores. They also started a free education program for employees and raised their starting pay.
In early 2024, Macy's announced plans to close up to 150 underperforming stores by the end of 2026. They want to focus on opening more Bloomingdale's and Bluemercury stores.
Types of Macy's Stores
Macy's Department Stores
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- Macy's – These are the main department stores. They are usually found in shopping malls. Sometimes, in bigger malls, there are multiple Macy's stores. These might be split into different sections like:
- Women and Children
- Furniture Gallery
- Home and Men's
- Kids and Men's
Macy's Backstage
- Macy's Backstage – These are "stores-within-stores" found inside many Macy's department stores. They offer products at lower prices. Some brands sold here are not found in the regular Macy's stores.
Famous Macy's Flagship Stores
As of 2023, Macy's has several important flagship stores. Many of these were once the main stores of other department store chains that Macy's bought.
| City | Store name | Formerly | Square feet | Year opened | Year closed |
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| Chicago | Macy's State Street | Marshall Field's | 300,000 | 2006 | N/A |
| New York City | Macy's Herald Square | N/A | 1,250,000 | 1902 | N/A |
| Philadelphia | Macy's Center City | Wanamaker's | 1,367,838 | 1861 | N/A |
| San Francisco | Macy's Union Square |
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700,000 | 1947 | 2025 |
Images for kids
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This store in Ohio was once called Kaufmann's before it became Macy's. You can still see the old name behind the Macy's sign!
See also
In Spanish: Macy's para niños
- List of department stores of the United States
- Aeropostale
