40 stores nationwide closing down across the country
SOUTH PLAINFIELD-- The Macy's at the Middlesex Mall is one of dozens of stores being shuttered in early 2016, the company said in a statement.
A total of 36 stores nationwide will be closed in the first few months of the year, joining four shuttered in the last few months of 2015 as part of a planned reduction announced in September and expected to net about $400 million in savings. The South Plainfield location is the only one of the state's 30 Macy's stores closed in 2016, although the location at Essex Green in West Orange was converted to a Backstage store last year. The chain has about 770 locations.
"In light of our disappointing 2015 sales and earnings performance, we are making adjustments to become more efficient and productive in our operations. Moreover, we believe we can operate more effectively with an organization that is flatter and more agile so we can pursue growth and regain market share in our core Macy's and Bloomingdale's omnichannel businesses faster and with more intensity. We will continue to invest in strategic initiatives that anticipate emerging customer needs and create shareholder value," Terry J. Lundgren, chairman and chief executive officer of Macy's, Inc., said in a statement.
The company is also slashing back-office and executive positions in conjunction with the closings. A St. Louis-based call center employing about 750 will be closed and its operations split among other facilities
About 70 associates are employed at the Middlesex Mall site, but the company said about half of employees affected nationwide will be placed in other positions. The 81,000-square-foot South Plainfield store opened 40 years ago.
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