Macy's To Close Iconic Downtown Miami Store
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - In another sign of the times that some brick and mortar stores have trouble competing in this digital age, Macy's has announced that they will close their downtown Miami store.
Macy's announced the closure Thursday along with the closure of 10 other stores across the country, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald. List among the closures is a second Florida location, the Macy's store in the Oaks Mall in Gainesville.
The Miami store was originally the flagship store of the home-grown Burdine's department stores. It opened the Miami location in 1898. The company joined the Federated Department Stores group in 1956 and in 2004 changed its name to Burdines-Macy's. A year later it became just Macy's.
"While closing a store is always a difficult decision because of the impact on our customers, our associates and the community, Macy's is delighted to have served this community over the years," said Macy's in a statement.
As for the employees, the organization said it will do what it can.
"Wherever possible, we will place employees in good standing in open and available positions in a nearby store. Regular, non-seasonal employees who we are unable to place at nearby locations will be eligible for severance, including outplacement resources."
The Miami Macy's store will begin clearance sales on January 8th and they will last through mid-March. Macy's did not set an exact closing date.
The closures are part of Macy's "growth strategy," the store said via a release. Macy's called the closures a "multi-year effort by the company to ensure the optimal mix of brick & mortar stores and digital footprint."
With the new closures, the company will have completed 81 of the 100 planned store closures that were initially announced in August 2016. Another 19 stores will be closed as leases or operating covenants expires, or as sale transactions are completed.
CBS4 News partner The Miami Herald contributed to this report.
