Federated Details Credit Consolidation

Cincinnati, Federated Department Stores will consolidate credit-related support facilities acquired in its merger with The May Department Stores Co. These moves will improve operating efficiencies and enhance customer service by coordinating technology and capital investments, the company said.

May Co.’s Earth City credit center in St. Louis will be retained as a fourth operational hub of Federated’s Cincinnati-based Financial, Administrative and Credit Services (FACS) Group division. Earth City will join current FACS facilities in Mason, Ohio, Clearwater, Fla., and Tempe, Ariz., in servicing private label and Visa credit-card accounts for each of Federated’s department store divisions. FACS also performs a variety of nonstore services for customers and employees. In addition, Federated will expand the main FACS facility in Mason, while phasing out former May Co. credit operations in Lorain and Parma, Ohio, and Houston beginning in spring 2006.