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January 7, 2020

Macy’s to close Meriden mall store

Photos | Flickr/JJBers Macy's at Westfield Meriden mall has closed.
By Joe Cooper

Department store chain Macy’s says it will close its Westfield Meriden store in the coming months after nearly a half-century in operation.

The national retailer in an email Tuesday confirmed its Meriden store, at 470 Lewis Ave., which anchors the mall, will close in March. Macy’s added it will hold a clearance sale this month that will run between eight to 12 weeks. 

It was not immediately clear Tuesday how many Macy's employees would lose their jobs because of the closure.

“The decision to close a store is always a difficult one, but Macy’s is proud to have served the Meriden community over the past 49 years, and we look forward to continuing to do so at nearby Macy’s stores including Macy’s Brass Mill Center (Waterbury), Macy’s Westfarms Mall and Macy’s Pavilions at Buckland Hills (Manchester) as well as online at macys.com,” a company spokeswoman said in a statement.

"Regular, non-seasonal colleagues who we are unable to place at nearby Macy’s locations will be eligible for severance, including outplacement resources," she continued.

The departure will mark another major blow for the Westfield Meriden mall.

It has lost three tenants over the last six or so years, including JCPenney in 2014 and Sears about a year ago. The JCPenney store was filled by Pennsylvania retailer Boscov’s and the Sears space is still vacant.

But unlike Sears, Macy’s owns its roughly 180,000-square-foot building in Meriden, land records show.

Macy’s departure follows a bit of good news from the American luxury store headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Macy’s last month announced it would no longer relocate a major part of its logistics operation in South Windsor to Ohio due to a recent surge of business in its discounted retail unit known as “Backstage.” The decision saved about 80 local jobs.

But that apparently hasn’t signaled a healthy period for the retailer. Macy’s is closing a total of 28 stores in Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia, California and Seattle, among other areas.

In 2016, Macy's closed its Enfield location at Enfield Square Mall as part of a plan to shutter 70 stores across the U.S.

Macy’s has operated under several names and brands since the early 1990s because of various mergers. The chain first opened in Meriden as G. Fox & Co. before its parent company merged with Filene’s under the Filene’s title.

Macy’s parent then went on to merge with Federated Department Stores Inc. and was later renamed Macy’s Inc. in 2007.

In Connecticut, Macy’s will have eight remaining locations in Farmington, Manchester, Waterbury, Danbury, Milford, Stamford, Trumbull and Waterford. By comparison, there were 12 Macy’s locations in Connecticut almost four years ago.

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