Phil Rubin

Macy's Doing 'Great' Heading Back-to-School

August 8, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
Macy's reported better than expected numbers for July with same-store sales up 7.3 percent and total dollars up 11 percent for the period. What initiatives have impressed you most and where do you think the company continues to face challenges?      [more...]

The idea that Macy's is finally through it's M&A "challenges" of the past (there were a few), as aptly suggested by Richard above, along with its focus on customers and relevant assortments via My Macy's suggests the power of customer-centric merchandising combined with customer-centric communications.

While there is a substitutability of Macy's and JC Penney, given the heritage and the commitment to customers and localization, Macy's should no longer be written off as irrelevant. As both chains push towards creating and delivering an improved proposition, it will be interesting to see if JC Penney can exploit its recent loyalty marketing initiatives to maintain its proximity and comparability to Macy's.