OC Register Article -- My Macy's

Why no Macy’s store is quite like another

December 3rd, 2009, 6:00 am

posted by Candice Shih, Staff Writer

Via OC Register

With more than 800 stores in the U.S., “nimble” might be an odd way to describe Macy’s.

Nonetheless, it’s becoming more the case as Macy’s implements a customization program around the country. Through My Macy’s, not only will Orange County stores better respond to their customers’ needs but so will each individual Macy’s store.

“It’s not just vendor structure or adding categories,” said John Gorham, senior vice president and director of stores in Macy’s Southwest region. “Appropriate size, color, weight of goods and silhouette are also just as important. It’s tailored to the uniqueness of the consumer.”

For example, that meant adding more small sizes in Westminster, which is heavily Vietnamese (pictured), eliminating coats in Hawaii, and adding a Lakers shop in downtown Los Angeles immediately after the team won the NBA championship this year.

Gorham’s area includes Southern California, Hawaii, Nevada and Arizona. He has lived in Laguna Hills for more than 18 years and knows Orange County well.

He described how each Macy’s in Orange County was adjusted to match its demographics and interests:

Westminster Mall — “It’s a perfect example of adjusting our size range in apparel and in shoes based on the specific customer profile in that market. We are able through the new My Macy’s process to adjust to smaller sizes,” Gorham said. “We have a fairly penetrated cosmetics business so we added a BeneFit Brow Bar.”

Fashion Island — “We didn’t have a juniors business in that store. The customer voted in back in April, and by Sept. 1 we had a full-blown juniors department,” Gorham said. The new department includes sportswear and dresses.

South Coast Plaza — “The customer was asking for a much broader assortment in dresses. We expanded and increased the dress offerings and space by over 30 percent. The business is flying. We are the dress headquarters for all of Orange County,” Gorham said. That also meant expanding the offerings in lower-priced dresses, such as those costing $120 to $150.

The Shops at Mission Viejo — “There was an enormous distortion of Levi’s in men’s. It was something that was continuing to grow,” Gorham said. “We doubled the space and we close to doubled the inventory.” This Macy’s also met a high demand for Levi’s in women’s, children and juniors and for its own INC brand for men and women.

Brea Mall and Main Place — “We added Tommy Hilfiger to these stores. We intensified the juniors business in denim, casual tops, sweaters, knits, camis and tanks,” Gorham said.

Laguna Hills Mall – “It is attracting a younger customer. We expanded juniors into the mall into a separate shop,” Gorham said. Customers asked for mineral-based makeup, too, so a Bare Escentuals counter was added.

The ability to react more quickly to customer demand was made possible by a new management structure at Macy’s, Gorham said. As a senior vice president, he supervises nine district vice presidents. Each of those teams has a district merchant and district planner, who gather local information.

“There’s constant evaluation of business performance and profit performance. You evaluate what’s trending,” Gorham said. “Things can change and things do change.”