The 2 most appropriate Macy's/Field's questions for this September - Page 6

downtownVital.org · November 28th, 2006, 04:03 PM

Quote:

You underestimate the signifance of a name.

How so?

NearNorthGuy · November 28th, 2006, 04:12 PM

The protest rally last Friday against Macy's was all over the TV News. However, the Tribune and Sun-Times, major recipients of Macy's advertising money, barely mentioned the protest.

The word from my Macy's on State contacts is that receipts are down and that the Walnut Room is nowhere near as crowded as in previous years. The Tribune and Sun-Times have reported misinformation about the Walnut Room, of course.

The boycott is going very well. Even better than expected, in fact.

NearNorthGuy · November 28th, 2006, 04:32 PM

The protest rally last Friday against Macy's was all over the TV News. However, the Tribune and Sun-Times, major recipients of Macy's advertising money, barely mentioned the protest.

The word from my Macy's on State contacts is that the Walnut Room is nowhere near as crowded as in previous years. The Tribune and Sun-Times have reported misinformation about the Walnut Room.

The boycott is going very well. Even better than expected, in fact.

pottebaum · November 28th, 2006, 04:50 PM

^hopefully it won't all just result in them greatly reducing the size of the State Street store. But I suppose business in the suburbs is down quite a bit too.

spyguy · December 12th, 2006, 11:44 PM

http://www.suntimes.com/business/168...tail12.article

Macy's faces the music
Shoppers tuning out since name change; Sears outlook better

December 12, 2006
BY SANDRA GUY Business Reporter

Holiday shoppers' spending mood is anybody's guess, but Marshall Field's-as-Macy's is looking like a tough sell, and Sears is looking better in retail and real estate assets, according to separate analyst reports issued Monday.

The shock of Federated Department Stores CEO Terry Lundgren's decision to eliminate beloved names such as Marshall Field's, Kaufmann's and Famous-Barr is proving a more difficult and time-consuming fight than expected for Macy's owner, wrote analyst Dana Cohen at Banc of America Securities.

Cohen estimated that sales plunged 11 percent in November from a year earlier at Field's and the other former May department stores, all now Macy's.

Another analyst, Carol Levenson of Gimme Credit, has put the stores' sales decline at anywhere from 20 percent to more than 30 percent for the three months that ended Oct. 28.

Cohen lowered her rating for Federated to neutral and cut her holiday-season and 2007 earnings forecasts based on the Macy's revamp decision and four other Federated missteps.

Cohen cited a "sharp reduction" in the cadence of promotions at the new Macy's stores; "dramatic" changes in merchandise assortments; a lack of compelling marketing, and "not enough change in the store environment and service levels."

"Federated tried to do too much too quickly" at Field's and the other department store chains previously owned by May Department Stores, Cohen wrote in a report to investors.

Chicagoans are increasingly bitter at what they see as lower levels of merchandise and customer service at Macy's compared with Field's.

Cohen sees no upturn in the fortunes of the newly minted Macy's stores until spring at the earliest, but she believes Federated's executives will turn things around eventually.

A Federated spokesman said the company's third-quarter sales and earnings were within its forecasts, and the balance sheet and cash flow have remained strong.

A sharp contrast was an analyst's glowing report about Sears Holdings Corp., whose Sears and Kmart stores have failed to attract shoppers.

Bill Dreher at Deutsche Bank said Sears Holdings could spit out an extra $6 billion in cash -- $5 billion by borrowing money through issuing debt, using its real estate as collateral, and another $1.1 billion from selling or leasing brand names such as Kenmore, Craftsman, Lands' End and Die Hard.

Dreher praised Sears Chairman Edward S. Lampert, a billionaire hedge-fund guru, as "one of the greatest investment minds of our time," who could spin the assets into earnings gold.

Dreher said Lampert's investing smarts could add 93 cents to $7.97 to Dreher's forecast of $11 in earnings per share for fiscal 2007. Dreher believes Sears' real estate is worth $8.8 billion.

Dreher also applauded Lampert for improving store profitability, cutting costs and trying to improve shopper traffic by putting Lands' End boutiques and Internet cafes in stores.

edsg25 · December 13th, 2006, 01:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spyguy

http://www.suntimes.com/business/168...tail12.article

Macy's faces the music
Shoppers tuning out since name change; Sears outlook better

December 12, 2006
BY SANDRA GUY Business Reporter

Holiday shoppers' spending mood is anybody's guess, but Marshall Field's-as-Macy's is looking like a tough sell, and Sears is looking better in retail and real estate assets, according to separate analyst reports issued Monday.

The shock of Federated Department Stores CEO Terry Lundgren's decision to eliminate beloved names such as Marshall Field's, Kaufmann's and Famous-Barr is proving a more difficult and time-consuming fight than expected for Macy's owner, wrote analyst Dana Cohen at Banc of America Securities.

Cohen estimated that sales plunged 11 percent in November from a year earlier at Field's and the other former May department stores, all now Macy's.

Another analyst, Carol Levenson of Gimme Credit, has put the stores' sales decline at anywhere from 20 percent to more than 30 percent for the three months that ended Oct. 28.

Cohen lowered her rating for Federated to neutral and cut her holiday-season and 2007 earnings forecasts based on the Macy's revamp decision and four other Federated missteps.

Cohen cited a "sharp reduction" in the cadence of promotions at the new Macy's stores; "dramatic" changes in merchandise assortments; a lack of compelling marketing, and "not enough change in the store environment and service levels."

"Federated tried to do too much too quickly" at Field's and the other department store chains previously owned by May Department Stores, Cohen wrote in a report to investors.

Chicagoans are increasingly bitter at what they see as lower levels of merchandise and customer service at Macy's compared with Field's.

Cohen sees no upturn in the fortunes of the newly minted Macy's stores until spring at the earliest, but she believes Federated's executives will turn things around eventually.

A Federated spokesman said the company's third-quarter sales and earnings were within its forecasts, and the balance sheet and cash flow have remained strong.

A sharp contrast was an analyst's glowing report about Sears Holdings Corp., whose Sears and Kmart stores have failed to attract shoppers.

Bill Dreher at Deutsche Bank said Sears Holdings could spit out an extra $6 billion in cash -- $5 billion by borrowing money through issuing debt, using its real estate as collateral, and another $1.1 billion from selling or leasing brand names such as Kenmore, Craftsman, Lands' End and Die Hard.

Dreher praised Sears Chairman Edward S. Lampert, a billionaire hedge-fund guru, as "one of the greatest investment minds of our time," who could spin the assets into earnings gold.

Dreher said Lampert's investing smarts could add 93 cents to $7.97 to Dreher's forecast of $11 in earnings per share for fiscal 2007. Dreher believes Sears' real estate is worth $8.8 billion.

Dreher also applauded Lampert for improving store profitability, cutting costs and trying to improve shopper traffic by putting Lands' End boutiques and Internet cafes in stores.

Please interpret for me.

I am not a religious person.

Does this article mean there is a God?

downtownVital.org · December 14th, 2006, 05:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edsg25

Please interpret for me.

I am not a religious person.

Does this article mean there is a God?

Good one. It will be interesting to see how this trend plays out over the long haul, but those of you who have been fighting to get Field's back should get a nice moral boost from this. My guess is that the CEO would need to get the boot before a change would be made, but in any case hopefully this will be a lesson to companies in the future that they should tread carefully when they mess with people's cities.

Now, aside from what the change Macy's made in Chicago means, what on earth has Macy's done to the Beatles in their TV ads. Good God that's a disgrace.

edsg25 · December 14th, 2006, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by downtownVital.org

Good one. It will be interesting to see how this trend plays out over the long haul, but those of you who have been fighting to get Field's back should get a nice moral boost from this. My guess is that the CEO would need to get the boot before a change would be made, but in any case hopefully this will be a lesson to companies in the future that they should tread carefully when they mess with people's cities.

Now, aside from what the change Macy's made in Chicago means, what on earth has Macy's done to the Beatles in their TV ads. Good God that's a disgrace.

thanks, downtown. And I am convinced that if God shops, He uses green shopping bags!

NearNorthGuy · December 14th, 2006, 06:32 PM

To those of you who support the boycott, you can get more people to participate by writing a Letter to the Editor.

Your Letter can go to Tribune and the Sun-Times. It can be in response to the recent articles in the Tribune and Sun-Times about the problems Federated Department Stores (Macy's owner) is having because of their mistake.

Your Letter can be important in influencing the public's actions.

Send it to the Tribune at:
ctc-TribLetter@tribune.com

Send it to the Sun-Times at:
letters@suntimes.com

UrbanSophist · December 14th, 2006, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edsg25

And I am convinced that if God shops, He uses green shopping bags!

I've always thought that too.

svs · December 14th, 2006, 07:58 PM

Maybe it would be better if Federated changed all the Macy's (except the one in Manhattan) to Marshall Field's. I would certainly enjoy going into a fields in Beverly Hills or Santa Monica. of course it would be nice if they kept the Field's management as well.

edsg25 · December 15th, 2006, 01:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by svs

Maybe it would be better if Federated changed all the Macy's (except the one in Manhattan) to Marshall Field's. I would certainly enjoy going into a fields in Beverly Hills or Santa Monica. of course it would be nice if they kept the Field's management as well.

svs, for all of Macy's renoun, Field's has always been considered a better department store. No reason why it wouldn't have done wellin Bev Hills, SM....or some new location in mid-town manhattan.

I've been saying the samething all along; Federated blew it. I still think my original idea would have worked. Three major department stores for Federated:

Trendy and flashy Bloomingdale's

Mid-market, sale-ladden Macy's

Traditonal upper-middle to high end Marshall Field's

Such a strategy could have created a major presence of Macy's throughout the US (including some converted Field's locations outside of places like WTP, OO,Okbk, Wfd, Nbk....in fact L&T at WTP could have been the flagship for Macy's Chicago, Bloomingdale's in high profile locations in the nation (where it currently is located), and Field's in other monied locations.

Is it save to say that metropolitan areas like NY, Chgo,LA, SF, Boston, Miami, DC, etc., could support Macy's, Field's, and Bloomie locations....with each of those stores offering its own special appeal.

svs · December 15th, 2006, 02:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edsg25

svs, for all of Macy's renoun, Field's has always been considered a better department store. No reason why it wouldn't have done wellin Bev Hills, SM....or some new location in mid-town manhattan.

I think you miss my point. I know that Fields was a better store than Macy's. Remember I grew up in Chicago and frequently visit New York. That's the whole point of my suggestion that Federated abandon the MAcy's label in favor of the Field's label.

edsg25 · December 15th, 2006, 03:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by svs

I think you miss my point. I know that Fields was a better store than Macy's. Remember I grew up in Chicago and frequently visit New York. That's the whole point of my suggestion that Federated abandon the MAcy's label in favor of the Field's label.

svs, actually i think you missed my point. my comments were made in agreement of what you said,not to refute it.

svs · December 15th, 2006, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by edsg25

svs, actually i think you missed my point. my comments were made in agreement of what you said,not to refute it.

I stand corrected. Thank you.

Latoso · December 15th, 2006, 05:22 PM

Could we all please stop agreeing!

svs · December 15th, 2006, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Latoso

Could we all please stop agreeing!

I agree to that.

edsg25 · December 15th, 2006, 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Latoso

Could we all please stop agreeing!

i really appreciate the respectful way you made the request. I would have done it the same way.

downtownVital.org · December 16th, 2006, 04:37 AM

awwww....

edsg25 · December 21st, 2006, 10:11 PM

Please respond:

There is undoubtedly a trivial side to the whole Field's-Macy's issue. Admittedly it is "just a department store" and it has really been Field's, the real Field's, for an eternity. And sure there's tradition, but times change....etc., etc., etc.

But is it possible for us to see the Field's issue in a different light, a far bigger and more important light.

Corporations, large corporations, control the United States. They have managed to have gained "citizenship" through friendly courts and now these citizens, not us, call the shots. We all are aware that their money speaks loud to Republicans and only slightly less loud (if even that much) to Democrats.

These corporations control our lives, our jobs (which they may shift overseas), where we live (they move us, if necessary), what we buy, and numerous other aspects of our lives.

By no means do I tink that the movement to return the Field's name to Chicago will happen, but is there something very refreshing about a movement that says to corporate America, "we're sick of the moves you make in your board rooms for your good and with no consideration about what is good for the rest of us."

Is boycotting Macy's, perhaps on a trivial level, not so different from throwing the British East India Company's tea into Boston Harbor?

November 28th, 2006, 04:50 PM	#104
pottebaum Minneapolis Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,084 Likes (Received): 0	^hopefully it won't all just result in them greatly reducing the size of the State Street store. But I suppose business in the suburbs is down quite a bit too. Last edited by pottebaum; November 28th, 2006 at 04:56 PM.

December 15th, 2006, 05:22 PM	#116
Latoso C.B.P. Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Chicago Posts: 1,229 Likes (Received): 0	Could we all please stop agreeing! __________________ LATOSO C.B.P. - Citizens for Better Planning Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably will themselves not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die. - Daniel Burnham

December 16th, 2006, 04:37 AM	#119
downtownVital.org You can call me Dan Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Green Bay Posts: 430 Likes (Received): 0	awwww.... __________________ - Dan http://www.downtownvital.org

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November 28th, 2006, 04:12 PM	#102
NearNorthGuy Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 502 Likes (Received): 0	The protest rally last Friday against Macy's was all over the TV News. However, the Tribune and Sun-Times, major recipients of Macy's advertising money, barely mentioned the protest. The word from my Macy's on State contacts is that receipts are down and that the Walnut Room is nowhere near as crowded as in previous years. The Tribune and Sun-Times have reported misinformation about the Walnut Room, of course. The boycott is going very well. Even better than expected, in fact.

November 28th, 2006, 04:32 PM	#103
NearNorthGuy Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 502 Likes (Received): 0	The protest rally last Friday against Macy's was all over the TV News. However, the Tribune and Sun-Times, major recipients of Macy's advertising money, barely mentioned the protest. The word from my Macy's on State contacts is that the Walnut Room is nowhere near as crowded as in previous years. The Tribune and Sun-Times have reported misinformation about the Walnut Room. The boycott is going very well. Even better than expected, in fact.

December 12th, 2006, 11:44 PM	#105
spyguy Expert Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Chicago Posts: 6,947 Likes (Received): 5	http://www.suntimes.com/business/168...tail12.article Macy's faces the music Shoppers tuning out since name change; Sears outlook better December 12, 2006 BY SANDRA GUY Business Reporter Holiday shoppers' spending mood is anybody's guess, but Marshall Field's-as-Macy's is looking like a tough sell, and Sears is looking better in retail and real estate assets, according to separate analyst reports issued Monday. The shock of Federated Department Stores CEO Terry Lundgren's decision to eliminate beloved names such as Marshall Field's, Kaufmann's and Famous-Barr is proving a more difficult and time-consuming fight than expected for Macy's owner, wrote analyst Dana Cohen at Banc of America Securities. Cohen estimated that sales plunged 11 percent in November from a year earlier at Field's and the other former May department stores, all now Macy's. Another analyst, Carol Levenson of Gimme Credit, has put the stores' sales decline at anywhere from 20 percent to more than 30 percent for the three months that ended Oct. 28. Cohen lowered her rating for Federated to neutral and cut her holiday-season and 2007 earnings forecasts based on the Macy's revamp decision and four other Federated missteps. Cohen cited a "sharp reduction" in the cadence of promotions at the new Macy's stores; "dramatic" changes in merchandise assortments; a lack of compelling marketing, and "not enough change in the store environment and service levels." "Federated tried to do too much too quickly" at Field's and the other department store chains previously owned by May Department Stores, Cohen wrote in a report to investors. Chicagoans are increasingly bitter at what they see as lower levels of merchandise and customer service at Macy's compared with Field's. Cohen sees no upturn in the fortunes of the newly minted Macy's stores until spring at the earliest, but she believes Federated's executives will turn things around eventually. A Federated spokesman said the company's third-quarter sales and earnings were within its forecasts, and the balance sheet and cash flow have remained strong. A sharp contrast was an analyst's glowing report about Sears Holdings Corp., whose Sears and Kmart stores have failed to attract shoppers. Bill Dreher at Deutsche Bank said Sears Holdings could spit out an extra $6 billion in cash -- $5 billion by borrowing money through issuing debt, using its real estate as collateral, and another $1.1 billion from selling or leasing brand names such as Kenmore, Craftsman, Lands' End and Die Hard. Dreher praised Sears Chairman Edward S. Lampert, a billionaire hedge-fund guru, as "one of the greatest investment minds of our time," who could spin the assets into earnings gold. Dreher said Lampert's investing smarts could add 93 cents to $7.97 to Dreher's forecast of $11 in earnings per share for fiscal 2007. Dreher believes Sears' real estate is worth $8.8 billion. Dreher also applauded Lampert for improving store profitability, cutting costs and trying to improve shopper traffic by putting Lands' End boutiques and Internet cafes in stores.

December 14th, 2006, 06:32 PM	#109
NearNorthGuy Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 502 Likes (Received): 0	To those of you who support the boycott, you can get more people to participate by writing a Letter to the Editor. Your Letter can go to *Tribune* and the *Sun-Times. It can be in response to the recent articles in the Tribune* and *Sun-Times* about the problems Federated Department Stores (Macy's owner) is having because of their mistake. Your Letter can be important in influencing the public's actions. Send it to the *Tribune* at: ctc-TribLetter@tribune.com Send it to the *Sun-Times* at: letters@suntimes.com

December 14th, 2006, 07:58 PM	#111
svs Registered User Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 1,532 Likes (Received): 0	Maybe it would be better if Federated changed all the Macy's (except the one in Manhattan) to Marshall Field's. I would certainly enjoy going into a fields in Beverly Hills or Santa Monica. of course it would be nice if they kept the Field's management as well.

December 21st, 2006, 10:11 PM	#120
edsg25 BANNED Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Chicago Posts: 9,399 Likes (Received): 0	Please respond: There is undoubtedly a trivial side to the whole Field's-Macy's issue. Admittedly it is "just a department store" and it has really been Field's, the real Field's, for an eternity. And sure there's tradition, but times change....etc., etc., etc. But is it possible for us to see the Field's issue in a different light, a far bigger and more important light. Corporations, large corporations, control the United States. They have managed to have gained "citizenship" through friendly courts and now these citizens, not us, call the shots. We all are aware that their money speaks loud to Republicans and only slightly less loud (if even that much) to Democrats. These corporations control our lives, our jobs (which they may shift overseas), where we live (they move us, if necessary), what we buy, and numerous other aspects of our lives. By no means do I tink that the movement to return the Field's name to Chicago will happen, but is there something very refreshing about a movement that says to corporate America, "we're sick of the moves you make in your board rooms for your good and with no consideration about what is good for the rest of us." Is boycotting Macy's, perhaps on a trivial level, not so different from throwing the British East India Company's tea into Boston Harbor?