Macy’s, after weeks of its physical stores being shuttered, is planning to gradually reopen all of its stores, beginning with retail spots in Georgia and South Carolina Monday, according to reports.
The department store giant is planning to reopen 68 department stores Monday, according to CNBC. It will have all of its approximately 775 stores reopened in the next six weeks, a spokesperson told the financial news site. The retailer will gauge its openings by the tapering off of COVID-19 infection rates.
On May 11, the company will reportedly open a second wave of about 50 stores. In the past week, roughly 20 Macy’s locations had began offering curbside pick in an effort to drive sales.
The 68 Macy’s stores opening initially soonest will be operating on reduced hours, from 11 am to 7 pm, according to CNBC. About 25% of these locations are in Simon Property Group’s malls.
Locations closed in March
On March 17, the company joined industry hotel and food leaders by closing its doors to slow down the spread of coronavirus. The company had already been facing several store closures and slowing sales prior to the health pandemic. The company continued to keep its online sales open to the public for its stores, including Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Bluemercury, Macy's Backstage, Bloomingdales the Outlet and Market by Macy's stores.
Later that month, company executives told the staff of nearly 130,000 employees most would continue to be furloughed at least through May, according to the Wall Street Journal. However, those who qualify for health benefits, would still receive that coverage as the company deals with the economic implications of the COVID-19 crisis.
“The health and safety of our customers, colleagues and communities is our utmost priority. As a result of the recent COVID-19 developments, we have decided to temporarily close our stores. We will work with government and health officials to assess when we will reopen our stores and safely bring our colleagues back to work,” Jeff Gennette, chairman and chief executive officer of Macy’s, Inc., said in a statement earlier this month. “During this closure, we will continue to serve our customers through our e-commerce sites.”
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