Department Store

Fewer stores translates into reduced holiday hiring for Macy's this year.   Macy's plans to hire a total of 80,000 workers for the holiday rush, down from about 83,000 last year. The company has been closing underperforming stores and currently operates some 70 fewer stores than it did last year.  

Nordstrom has opened its sixth location in Canada.    The department store retailer on Friday opened its doors at CF Sherway Gardens, its third full-line location in Toronto. The two-level, 140,000-sq.-ft. store follows the retailer's openings at Toronto's CF Toronto Eaton Centre and Yorkdale Shopping Centre last fall. The opening comes as rumors mount that the company is about to go private in a buyout deal. http://www.chainstoreage.com/article/nordstrom-edging-closer-going-private  

CBL is launching a pilot program at two of its malls that will more closely measure the volume and the specific nature of traffic.   The initiative, directed by RetailNext, will place cameras at various points on the properties that not only count heads, but determine shoppers’ genders and approximate their ages within five years. The test will take place at Hamilton Place in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Asheville Mall in Asheville, North Carolina.  

Herberger’s has moved to a new location at the Valley View Mall in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, “right-sizing” to a 100,000-sq.-ft. space in a spot recently vacated by Macy’s. Herberger’s was the sixth tenant to backfill vacant department store space at a PREIT-owned mall this year.  

DSW Inc. is making good on its promise to create a foothold in the Persian Gulf.   The footwear giant opened of its first warehouse store in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The new 15,000-sq.-ft. store is located at the Mall of Dhahran.   

Uncertainty has always been a part of the retail industry, but today it is reaching unprecedented levels. Far too many retailers have let that online monster that’s under the bed get into their heads and influence their strategic decision and resource allocation. But is that monster really vicious?  

The president and CEO of Macy's, Jeff Gennette, and Google's president of global partnerships, Daniel Alegre, will be among the headliners at Shoptalk 2018, the nex-gen retail and e-commerce event.   Also on the bill: Alon Cohen, president and co-founder of Houzz, the home furnishings and design site. Shoptalk's final agenda will feature more than 400 speakers, an increase of 25% over 2017’s event.  

With access to more disposable income, Hispanic consumers will up their holiday spending this year — especially through e-commerce.