Macy’s

Macy’s Inc. is doubling down on waste reduction and promoting circularity to help save the environment.
Among the efforts disclosed by the company this week: reducing packaging, scaling back on samples for private labels to reduce textile waste and advancing programs that enable customers to extend the life of products.

“Our efforts are focused on providing sustainable and ethically produced brands, products and services to our customers, while reducing our impact on the environment through operations,” Keelin Evans, vice president of sustainability at Macy’s Inc., said in a statement Monday. “We’re going to achieve this through our guiding social purpose platform, ‘Mission Every One,’ and an enterprise-wide collaboration with partners, designers, suppliers, logistics partners, entrepreneurs, colleagues and customers.”

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Macy’s indicated that its private brand team is utilizing technology to scale back the number of physical samples required from suppliers “without impacting fit, color and other design considerations.” Macy’s said that process has significantly decreased textile waste. According to the company, in 2019, 5 percent of samples were digital but by the end of the 2022 development season, 61 percent of all samples were made virtually. “This shift actively keeps product that would otherwise not have use, out of landfills,” Macy’s indicated.

The retailer is further reducing waste by cutting down on packaging. That involves standardizing the size of packing cartons and minimizing packaging materials, the company said. Among the initiatives cited:

Auto-boxer and auto-bagger technology to create unique packaging to fit odd or oversize items and reduce box volume and waste up to 50 percent.In 2022, virgin plastic mailer bags were edited to include 35 percent recycled content, reducing the thickness of the bag by 20 percent, thereby reducing virgin plastic input by more than 50 percent.All cardboard used by Macy’s fulfillment centers is FSC-certified and comprised of 35 percent recycled content.In spring 2022, most packages from digital orders fulfilled by Macy’s fulfillment centers do not include printed invoices. Instead, customers can reference order information in their online accounts and email receipts.

The Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s divisions of the company have been offering accessible care instructions and programs to help customers extend product life and reduce water and electricity use. For products like jewelry, watches and furniture, repair services are available through “WorryNoMore Protection Plans” and a partnership with My Jewelry Repair, which offers a range of services, from repairing a broken clasp on a bracelet to recreating an entire movement in a watch.

Macy’s wants to increase store recycling rates 80 percent by 2025. To help reach the goal, the Macy’s beauty products team launched a pilot program involving shipping outdated collateral to a third-party for recycling rather than disposing it in the stores. Macy’s is also using RFID technology to track participation and weights of store cardboard recycling.

Additionally, earlier this year, Macy’s joined up with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, textile waste solutions company FabScrap, and Give Back Box, a system for donating household items.

Through its partnership with Give Back Box, Macy’s customers can contribute to the responsible lifecycle of their clothes, toys and other pre-loved items by downloading a pre-paid shipping label from Macy’s website and sending them to be donated for resale and recycling.

Backstage launches Friday inside Macy’s Herald Square, bringing the thrill of the “treasure hunt” for bargains across a wide spectrum of merchandise categories and brands and furthering the footprint of Macy’s burgeoning off-price format.Backstage is growing rapidly. From April through June this year, Macy’s is bringing Backstage off-price departments to 37 of its full-line department stores, so by the end of June, Backstage will be inside 300 Macy’s stores across the country. Last year, Macy’s brought Backstage into 45 of its department stores.
“We continue to evolve our footprint,” Michael Hersh, vice president of Macy’s Backstage, told WWD, during a walk-through of Backstage at Herald Square. There, Backstage has taken more than 15,000 square feet of space on the eighth floor. It feels like a store within a store, with its own entranceway; distinct blue and white signage and myriad T-stands on wheels for flexibility with the merchandising and display.

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“This is an easy and efficient shopping experience with clear sight lines to all the different categories,” Hersh said.

Michael Hersh
George Chinsee for WWD

Backstage departments range in size anywhere from 11,000 to 18,000 square feet, though the biggest Backstage department occupies 20,000 square feet inside Macy’s Essex Green store in West Orange, N.J.
The off-price sector is among the most consistently profitable in retail, and actually growing in appeal in light of soaring inflation and consumers being desperate to save money by bargain hunting. “Typically, Backstage offers 20 to 80 percent off department store prices,” Hersh said.
The off-price arena is dominated by TJX, Ross and Burlington, which Backstage competes against. They are all moderate and lower-priced offpricers.
Other key players in the off-price are Saks Off 5th, which specializes in discounting designer labels, and Nordstrom Rack, which is more moderate-priced compared to Off 5th but at a tier above TJX, Ross and Burlington.

The New & Now trend statement.
George Chinsee for WWD

Backstage at Herald Square is copiously stocked with just about all the key categories carried by Macy’s, including men’s, women’s and kids apparel and accessories, activewear, handbags, denim, footwear, fragrance, beauty products, luggage; toys, electronics, bath and body, candles, picture frames, bedding, gifts, even snacks, pet gifts and some New York City-centric souvenirs for tourists, like those foot-long Statue of Liberty replicas. It’s a mix of brands and items that may or may not have otherwise been sold at Macy’s. Merchandise is procured through upfront cuts, closeouts and opportunistic buys. New products arrive to the selling floor daily, and Backstage has its own distribution center in Columbus, Ohio, to expedite merchandise to the stores. Previously, the space was merchandised with seasonal goods, such as swim and outerwear.
Up front, there’s a “New & Now” framed podium for fashion trend statements that will change every four to six weeks. It’s currently merchandised with summery white sportswear and orange and printed dresses Nearby, there is a “Gifts for Dad” section, indicating items $39.99 and under, including Guess Seductive Red fragrance. Among other finds, there’s a bath and body section with products priced at $29.99 including items from Nicole Miller and Tahari; Tommy Hilfiger kids sets for $14.99;  Calvin Klein kids jumpsuits priced $14.99; candles priced $14.99 and under; Goodyear booster cables for $24.99; Puma performance tops, $14.99; Bebe activewear, $19.99; BCBG four-piece twin bedding sets, priced $17.

The beauty section at Macy’s Backstage.
George Chinsee for WWD

Part of the discount strategy is to encourage consumers to eventually graduate from shopping Macy’s Backstage to shopping Macy’s full-price, just like Saks Off 5th sees its shoppers over time graduating to Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom Rack sees customers migrating to Nordstrom full-line stores. Of the three off-pricers, Saks Off-5th has the highest prices and highest concentration of high-end designer products, while Nordstrom Rack and Backstage are lower-priced overall.
Backstage is part of Macy’s efforts to diversify its brick-and-mortar portfolio, from being mall-based with large department stores to also having a significant off-mall presence by layering in smaller, specialized formats such as Market by Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s The Outlet and Bloomie’s — all of which are part of the Macy’s Inc. portfolio.
Bloomie’s, which launched last year with one unit in Alexandria, Va., offers contemporary and luxury brands, services, tech-enabled stylists, new store design concepts and a restaurant. Additional Bloomie’s locations are in the works.
Market by Macy’s, with three units in Texas and two in Atlanta, will also expand to additional markets. The specialty format has branded and private-label fashion, products from local designers and direct-to-consumer brands, food, an apothecary, plants, home items and a café.
Macy’s was a Johnny-come-lately to the off-price sector, long seeing no need to operate off-price units because its department stores had become very price promotional. It wasn’t until 2015 that Macy’s introduced the Backstage concept, after research indicated the company was losing share to off-pricers like T.J. Maxx, as well as the off-price sector’s high level of profitability. Macy’s needed to find new growth avenues.
Macy’s debuted Backstage in the fall of 2015. In addition to the many Backstage areas inside Macy’s, there are eight freestanding Backstage locations. Last year, two new free-standing Backstage locations opened in Dallas.
Last September, Macy’s Inc. chairman and chief executive officer Jeff Gennette said the average price of an item at Backstage is $13 to $14, whereas at Macy’s full-line department stores, the average at that time was $35 to $36. At the Bloomingdale’s division, the average price, he said, was just under $100.

According to Gennette, 18 percent of those visiting Backstage also visit the full-line departments at Macy’s, and spend 29 percent more. “Those customers are very profitable for us,” Gennette said last year. “They are also younger and more diverse.”
While retailers of all kinds have been suffering from supply chain bottlenecks, it’s not quite the same situation with off-pricers. They would readily take in merchandise that arrives late due to factory and port delays that regular price stores would not necessarily want to display in their stores and on their websites. Off-pricers often pack away merchandise and sell it months or a year or so after receiving the goods.

A menswear statement.
George Chinsee for WWD

Backstage, the off-price division of Macy’s Inc., is taking center stage.Continuing its rapid rollout, 37 Backstage departments inside Macy’s locations around the country — including the Herald Square and State Street flagships — will be opening from April 9 through June of this year.
Backstage stores-within-store occupy a big chunk of space — from 11,000 to 16,000 square feet each — and offer bargains on apparel and accessories for women, men and children; toys; housewares; beauty products; designer handbags; activewear, and pet products, among other items.
It’s a mix of brands and items that may or may not be sold at Macy’s. Part of the discount strategy is to encourage consumers to eventually graduate from shopping Macy’s Backstage to shopping Macy’s full-price, just like Saks Off 5th sees its shoppers over time graduating to Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom Rack sees customers migrating to Nordstrom full-line stores.

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Macy’s last year added Backstage to 45 full-line stores, and currently has about 300 Backstage in-store departments, as well as a handful of freestanding Backstage stores.
At the Herald Square flagship in Manhattan, Backstage will occupy over 15,000 square feet and open for business in May. At Macy’s State Street flagship in Chicago, Backstage will debut on April 9.
Backstage is part of Macy’s efforts to diversify its brick-and-mortar portfolio, from being mall-based with large department stores, to also having a significant off-mall presence by layering in smaller, specialized formats such as Market by Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s The Outlet, and Bloomies — all of which are part of the Macys Inc. portfolio.
Bloomie’s, which launched last year with one unit in Alexandria, Va., offers contemporary and luxury brands, services, tech-enabled stylists, new store design concepts and a restaurant. Additional Bloomies locations are in the works.
Market by Macy’s, currently with three units in Texas, and two in Atlanta, will also expand to additional markets. The specialty format has branded and private-label fashion, products from local designers and direct-to-consumer brands, food, an apothecary, plants, home items and a café.
Last year, two new free-standing Backstage locations opened in Dallas.
“Macy’s continues to shift its store fleet to meet the needs of changing consumer behaviors and plans to open additional off-mall locations throughout 2022,” the company said in a statement Tuesday.
One challenge for Macy’s will be to find labor for its new formats. Macy’s Backstage posts job openings on macysinc.com/careers. Backstage has a distribution center in Columbus, Ohio.
Macy’s was a Johnny-come-lately to the off-price sector, long seeing no need to operate off-price units because its department stores had become very price promotional. It wasn’t until 2015 when Macy’s introduced the Backstage concept, after research indicated the company was losing share to off-pricers like T.J. Maxx — as well as the off-price sector’s high level of profitability. Macy’s needed to find new growth avenues.
Last September, Macy’s Inc. chairman and chief executive officer Jeff Gennette said that the average price of an item at Backstage is $13 to $14, whereas at Macy’s full-line department stores, the average is $35 to $36. At the Bloomingdale’s division, the average price is just under $100.

According to Gennette, 18 percent of those visiting Backstage also visit the full-line departments at Macy’s, and spend 29 percent more. “Those customers are very profitable for us,” Gennette said. “They are also younger and more diverse.”
Despite supply chain issues which plagued the retail industry last year, Gennette said Backstage was in a good stock position, even in apparel. Off-pricers such as Backstage would have an opportunity to procure merchandise that arrives late due to factory and port delays around the world, out-of-season merchandise that regular price stores would not necessarily want to display in their stores and on their websites.

Macy’s has stepped up personalization efforts, revamped its website, formed a style crew for fashion tips and is creating in-store areas filled with apparel and accessories designated as “must haves.”Macy’s also changed its dress code for its colleagues, so they can better express their personal style and encourage customers to do the same.
It’s all part of what Macy’s said is the launch of a new brand platform with the tag line “Own Your Style.”
Efforts to help customers find and buy fashion that best suits their personal style will be integrated into macys.com, the Macy’s app, social media and Macy’s stores.
“We will help our customers express their personal style through personalized data-driven recommendations and expert advice that will differentiate us in a cluttered marketplace,” Rich Lennox, chief brand officer of Macy’s, said in a statement Tuesday. “This brand transformation will enhance our customer’s shopping experience with more personal touchpoints and offer them true value and style that they can own.”

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Lennox added that the new brand platform involves digital and social-first experiences, branded content, sequenced storytelling, in-person expert advice and personalized data-driven recommendations.
Macy’s also said Own Your Style is a key step within the company’s Polaris strategy, which is the roadmap guiding the retailer’s future and growth initiatives.
It’s also apparently an effort by the retailer to project greater fashion authority and boost sales.
Recently, Macy’s business has been strongest in such categories as fine jewelry, fine watches, sleepwear, men’s contemporary fashion and men’s footwear. However, for much of the women’s ready-to-wear, there’s been a sales drought.
Macy’s Inc. chairman and chief executive officer Jeff Gennette has acknowledged an over-dependence on dress up, wear-to-work, social occasion and tailored clothing and said the company is working to pump up casual offerings, as well as developing categories new to Macy’s, such as wine, exercise equipment, pet supplies, health and fitness, and gourmet food.
Polaris involves efforts to improve the quality of its fashion offerings and sharpen the focus of private brands, accelerate digital sales, and strengthen customer loyalty and personalization.
Polaris also calls for closing 125 stores from 2020 to 2022 and upgrade the top 250 stores, grow off-price operations, and modernize the supply chain.
So far, about half of the 125 stores have been closed, and other closings have been delayed in order to maintain a physical presence in certain markets where Macy’s has recently begun opening off-mall format stores, namely Market by Macy’s, Bloomie’s and Bloomingdale’s The Outlet. The traditional department stores double as fulfillment hubs supporting digital operations through buy online, pick up in store, curbside pickup and same-day delivery services.

From Macy’s new brand platform, Own Your Style.

At the stores, Macy’s this month is setting up monthly Own Your Style and Now Trending pavilions with what officials describe as “must-have” products and key items. There will be digital screens providing style guidance to customers and displays of shoes and bags cross merchandised with outfits to give further suggestion.

The marketing around Own Your Style brand platform will be inclusive and diverse, featuring cast members of various ethnicities, genders and body types.
Also, Macy’s has a new dress code that “celebrates” self-expression and is intended to underscore the message behind the Own Your Style brand platform.
“We’re reimagining our dress code through a new store colleague look book,” with head-to-toe looks, some casual, some more elevated. “Our colleague’s personal style and self-expression will engage and inspire our customers to express their own personal style,” a Macy’s spokeswoman said.
“A colleague in our general selling area may dress with a more casual look of their favorite pair of denim paired with fashion sneakers while colleagues in special selling areas — fine jewelry, beauty — will dress in a more elevate look. This may mean a dress, skirt, suit or blazer paired with flashy accessories. We are empowering colleagues to let their personal style shine through.”
Macy’s current dress code varies by role but can overall be described as business casual, the spokeswoman added.
The company said it is reintroducing the Macy’s Style Crew, in-house style experts providing tips, live demos, product tutorials and fashion recommendations to customers and their followers on social media. The Style Crew members will be posting shoppable video and photo content to their own social and digital channels for customers to discover new products. Customers can click through the Style Crew members posts and land on macys.com to complete their shopping journey. Style Crew Members can earn commission for their participation.
Macy’s also indicated that it is enhancing its website with simplified global navigation, a refreshed, modern search bar and a personalized customer dashboard. “The online experience will be centered around the new Own Your Style hub, described as a curated destination for style inspiration.
The website will also have product carousels highlighting different categories plus new product photos grids that showcase items with product videos.

From Macy’s new brand platform, Own Your Style.

Cosabella’s men’s division has a new creative director.Starting this month, Roman Sipe will take the helm as creative director of the men’s division at the Italian innerwear and underwear brand, as well as creative director of men’s at luxury boutique Journelle. Both firms are owned and operated by the Campello family. 
“Roman is a pioneer in men’s underwear; he’s a true creative,” Guido Campello told WWD. 
Campello, whose parents Valeria and Ugo Campello founded Cosabella in 1983, currently serves as creative director of women’s at Cosabella, as well as co-chief executive officer, along with his sister Silvia Campello. “And Roman is an operator,” Campello continued. “He runs his business.”

Luxury lingerie brand Cosabella offers underwear in sizes that fit across all body forms.
Courtesy Photo

Sipe’s business ventures include luxury men’s underwear brand Menagerie Intimates, which he launched in 2015. The designer said he was excited to work with Cosabella — and Campello, in particular — because of the company’s nearly 40-year history. 

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“I’m a self-taught designer. I’m a self-taught brand owner,” Sipe said. “And to have Guido [Campello] as a mentor, as well as Giorgio [Latini], the production manager that we work with in Italy…the research and the knowledge that these men bring to the industry that I’m new to is key. I focus on the beauty of my lingerie and who I am trying to reach. But in order to scale and in order to build brand awareness and grow, I need a mentor within our [intimates] world.”
But Sipe, who is based in Fabriano, Italy, near Cosabella’s factories, is not completely new to the industry. In fact, he’s been in the fashion scene for at least 10 years, between L.A. and New York. His résumé includes celebrity stylist, fashion stylist (with brands such as G-Star and Seven For All Mankind), designer and founder. He also has a bachelor’s degree in finance, styled music videos, contestants on “America’s Next Top Model” and won Macy’s The Next Style Star Competition, a reality show competition that gave him the chance to produce a fashion campaign for the department store. 
“And that is exactly when I decided I wanted to design,” Sipe explained. “And I was like, what am I going to design? The first thing that came to mind was underwear. And I was googling underwear and I didn’t see anything that I would wear.”

Luxury lingerie brand Cosabella now offers underwear in sizes that fit across all body forms.
Courtesy Photo

In the new role, Sipe has been tasked with building out the male body form division, starting with the spring 2023 collections, across Cosabella and Journelle. (Campello and his wife Sapna Palep purchased luxury lingerie boutique Journelle, which has locations in New York and Chicago, along with the e-commerce business, in 2019.) Sipe will also assist Campello on creative direction for Cosabella’s and Journelle’s women’s collections. 
“I always thought I would be the creative director [of Cosabella] forever,” Campello explained. “I thought I had enough creative direction in understanding trends and movement, because I’ve been in this space forever. But very clearly, I think the speed at which the last two years moved, I realized there’s all these worlds out there now that are getting exposure and they need premium products, better products. And one of those places is men’s. The biggest step I took was to understand that I can’t speak to everybody. I know my world. 

“Ultimately, [Sipe] has a comfort level with teaching and talking about that product that’s different from other people,” Campello continued. “I’ve learned a lot already from him, about utility, solution underwear, solution undergarments in that space.”
Campello, who is based in New York, will continue to act as creative director of women’s, with some input from Sipe on the division. He added that it makes sense for Sipe to be based in Italy, near production facilities, in order for him to gain a better understanding of the entire process, starting with the supply chain. 

Luxury lingerie boutique Journelle in New York City. Campello and his wife Sapna Palep purchased the business in 2019.
Courtesy Photo

Meanwhile, Cosabella continues to build out his assortment for men, which launched last fall. Campello is quick to point out, however, that it’s not so much for men, as it is for the male body form. That could take the shape of underwear — which is cut in the same style and fabric across both men’s and women’s — but with added volume in the crotch area to accommodate for men, or bras for men, he explained. 
“We’re a very inclusive brand at Cosabella,” Campello said. “Journelle is becoming inclusive. But to truly be inclusive you need to bring in the people who do those things. Journelle does it by bringing in other brands that we sell. But Cosabella needs that influence,” he added, explaining the need to onboard Sipe. 

Sapna Palep and Guido Campello.
Courtesy Photo

For his part, Sipe’s wish list for the company includes creating sizing guides for men, adding in more lace and bra options, as well as bra fittings for men, while breaking down long-held societal stigmas around men — or the male form — in the lingerie space. He also wants to help expand the range of women who feel comfortable at Journelle by adding more choices for plus-size and transgender shoppers, among others. 
“The most exciting part is coming in and optimizing the male shopping experience: the product, the styles, what we want to do,” Sipe said. “And building what men’s lingerie actually looks like and what it means to actually design for the male form. We have the opportunity to expand what men’s lingerie means. 
“For instance, the fit chart is a really interesting thing for me,” he continued. “Because I know a lot of men who say, I wear a boxer brief. I want to build out a men’s fit guide that lets you know what is proper for what style of pants you’re wearing. I think that’s where my styling experience comes in. And to create a shopping space for men, because most of the time they’re shopping for their partners, their girlfriend, wife, for a woman. But now the goal is to have them come into the store [independently] for Cosabella’s men’s line and with my line. 

“I knew starting my brand, the gays were going to love it,” Sipe added. “The fashion men and women were going to love it. But as my brand grew, I started getting contacted by all different men. And [that experience] has been so much fun. Because all it takes is for people to see [men’s lingerie], to accept it. But also, to see it done right. To understand it and to break down all the walls.”

Like last year, Black Friday 2021 is looking different.
Several major retailers are again starting the Black Friday shopping event early, with many sales periods starting at the beginning of November. This move is largely due to the ongoing pandemic, with retailers responding to supply chain blockages and product shortages, and offering customers more time to do their holiday shopping. Many retailers are also continuing last year’s practice of closing its stores on Thanksgiving as a way to thank its associates and reduce the spread of COVID-19. 
Retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, Macy’s and others have already revealed their Black Friday shopping events, with others slated to make their announcements in the next few weeks.

Here, WWD rounds up how several major retailers are doing Black Friday 2021. Read on for more.

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This article will be updated as retailers announce their Black Friday initiatives. 
Amazon  
Amazon is continuing its tradition of offering a longer holiday sales period that started at the beginning of October. The deals are available on Amazon’s “Epic Deals” page and spans across virtually all its categories, including fashion, beauty, home, electronics and more.
Throughout October and November, Amazon will drop deeper deals on select merchandise. It is currently amid its Holiday Beauty Haul savings event, its first beauty-specific shopping event, where the company is offering up to 40 percent off on products across skin care, hair care, color cosmetics and fragrance.
Best Buy 
Best Buy Inc. is starting off the holiday shopping season early, offering Black Friday deals starting on Nov. 19, a week earlier than the actual Black Friday.
The retailer is offering deals on many of its electronics, including savings on smart TVs from Samsung, LG and Sony and on Apple products like the new iPhone 13 and iPad.
JCPenney
JCPenney will also start offering Black Friday deals on Nov. 1 through the rest of the month across fashion, home, beauty and more categories. The retailer is also offering its Joy Sweepstakes during the holiday shopping period where customers can win prizes when they shop. Prizes include gift cards, home electronics and a trip to Los Angeles.
Kohl’s 
Kohl’s is offering holiday savings throughout November, with six days of Black Friday deals starting on Nov. 21. The retailer is also offering a sales initiative where it awards $15 Kohl’s Cash for every $50 customers spend during the Black Friday week.
Some of the retailer’s deals include 15 percent off online and in-store purchases from Nov. 5 to 10, $10 in Kohl’s Cash for every $50 spent from Nov. 6 to Nov. 10 and 10 to 20 percent off on Sephora at Kohl’s beauty items for its Beauty Insiders members from Nov. 5 to 15.
Macy’s
Macy’s is starting its Black Friday deals on Nov. 3, with new deals presented each week across all its categories. All Black Friday deals will then be offered between Nov. 23 to 27. Some deals include 40 to 50 percent off men’s and women’s boots, 50 percent off designer handbags, 50 percent off select beauty products, 60 percent off select homeware and 65 percent off sheets and bedding.
Nordstrom 
Nordstrom is offering up to 40 percent off on all its product categories throughout November. The department store will also be adding more deals the week of Nov. 19.

Old Navy 
Old Navy will offer 50 percent off on Black Friday. Stores will open at 5 a.m.
Sam’s Club
The membership-based retailer is hosting Black Friday deals from Nov. 25 to 28. Called Thanks-Savings, Sam’s Club will be discounting its products across all categories. On Nov. 25, customers will find Black Friday sales online only, as the retailer will be closing its stores on Thanksgiving.
Sephora
Sephora is offering holiday shopping deals starting Nov. 5 with its Holiday Savings Event for its Beauty Insider members. Each tier in the retailer’s membership receives different savings: Its Rouge members receive 20 percent off, its VIB members receive 15 percent off and Insiders receive 10 percent off on purchases until Nov. 15. Sephora will again offer more deals closer to Black Friday.
Target  
Target kicked off its Black Friday savings initiative on Oct. 31, with the retailer announcing it will offer new week-long deals every Sunday across electronics, toys, homeware, appliances, apparel, beauty and more categories. Deals include $100 off on Beats headphones and $200 off on HP’s 15.6 inch laptop.
From Nov. 4 to Nov. 6, Target will offer additional deals, such as the Element 65-inch Smart TV at $299.99 (originally $649.99), the Keurig K-Mini at $49.99 (originally $89.99) and the Bose QuietComfort Headphones at $179.99 (originally $299.99).
Walmart
Walmart is hosting its second annual “Black Friday Deals for Days” initiative starting on Nov. 3 and running through the end of the month. The initiative offers customers deals across the retailer’s product categories, including deals on electronics, toys, appliances, home goods, apparel and more.
The retailer will be releasing savings opportunities throughout the month, with deals hitting on Nov. 3 and Nov. 10. Other deal days have not yet been revealed.
READ MORE HERE: 
The Best 2021 Black Friday Beauty Deals 
What to Buy on Black Friday, According to Retail Experts 
10 Things to Expect During the 2021 Holiday Shopping Season 

It’s a feel-good moment for Macy’s Inc.
The retailer is seeing sustained momentum, believes the government stimulus package and rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations are spurring shopping, and that it will reach its goal of generating $10 billion in digital sales in 2023.
“We’re very excited about what we’re seeing right now with the consumer and what’s going on in the macro environment. So the momentum that Macy’s Inc. banner brands had in the fourth quarter is continuing into the first quarter,” Jeff Gennette, chairman and chief executive officer of Macy’s Inc., said Wednesday at the J.P. Morgan Annual Retail Roundup.
“We’re definitely seeing benefits from the stimulus package that was in full force over the past six weeks and certainly the vaccine which is starting to take root…at different rates in different parts of the country. Our existing customer base, our core customer, they’re getting stronger, and we’re certainly seeing increased spend as they’re re-engaging with the brand.”

Gennette cited an influx of new customers — 7 million in the fourth quarter — and an opportunity to capture market share, particularly in the digital space. “We can get to $10 billion by 2023. We’re the number-two online site in the categories that we serve, and we’ve got ambition there.
“With competitive closures, we definitely see an opportunity to take share in targeted categories at both Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s.”

Continuing to exude positivity, Gennette said Macy’s “fundamentals” continue to improve, including margins through improved pricing analytics. There’s greater full-price selling, faster turnover, a healthy stock-to-sales ratio, a lower SG&A rate, and expense discipline, he said.
However, Macy’s boss cited uncertainty for the future, stating, “We don’t know where we are right now in kind of the end of the pandemic cycle, what that looks like.” He said Macy’s takes “a measured view to the back half of the year.”
Macy’s in the fourth quarter saw steep sales and profit declines but not as much as had been expected. There could still be some declines in the first quarter, but there’s improvement and the company expects to eventually return to pre-pandemic volume levels. Sales totaled $17.34 billion in 2020, versus $24.56 billion in 2019. For 2021, Macy’s anticipates between $19.75 billion to $20.75 billion in sales.
Currently, compared to 2019, Macy’s sees the rate of increase in new customers at about 14 percent ahead, and that the company is spending 8 percent more.
Gennette said digital remains very strong. “It was up 24 percent in 2020, and that momentum is accelerating as we get into the first quarter of 2021.” The CEO said the company has been working on search relevancy, improving personalization, simplifying pricing, promotions and the checkout experience, and providing new payments options, including Klarna.
Home, fine jewelry, fragrances, sleepwear, sunglasses, footwear, particularly sandals, watches and luxury handbags remain strong.
Denim is beginning to show strength, particularly Levi’s, as well as dresses, with proms and wedding dates beginning to get calendared in again, Gennette said. “And then just people going out more. You see that in casual day dresses.” Luggage, which was dormant in 2020, is coming back as travel revs up.

Among the top brands across categories, Gennette cited Levi’s, Kors, Polo Ralph Lauren, the partnership with Finish Line, Chanel, Dior and Louis Vuitton in luxury bags, as well as Birkenstock and Steve Madden in footwear.
The CEO cited opportunities in new categories that Macy’s pursued last year like baby gear, outdoor, recreation, fitness, hair care and gourmet food. “We went after hundreds of new brands, lots of new skus.” Macy’s ended 2020 with $1.7 billion of cash, which executives said provides liquidity and flexibility to chase categories to grow with.
Gennette stressed that Macy’s Inc. is selling more with less inventory, that regular price sell-through is up and average unit retail price is up about 7 percent this quarter versus the same period in 2019.
With Backstage, Macy’s growing off-price business, 45 in-store departments are planned this year, and there’s a resumption of opening freestanding Backstage stores. A handful opened for the first time in 2015.
According to Macy’s Inc. chief financial officer Adrian Mitchell, digital sales per capita are two to three times higher in markets where there are Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s stores versus markets where there are none.
He said Macy’s store fleet transformation activities are focused on rightsizing the number of stores, making omnichannel investments in remaining stores, testing the potential productivity and profitability of smaller off-mall formats (Market by Macy’s, Backstage and Bloomingdale’s the Outlet) and monetizing real estate assets wherever possible. Macy’s expects $60 million to $90 million in asset sales this year.
Last year, Macy’s said it would close 125 “neighborhood” doors, and now has about 60 locations left to close. “This really allows us to concentrate our store locations in the most productive A and B malls.” After the closures, “We would expect to generate about 75 or 85 percent of our store sales from those stores.”
To improve margins on digital sales, Macy’s has been developing ways to encourage store pickups to save on delivery costs, reducing the distance that packages travel to customers by improving demand forecasting and inventory allocation, reducing the number of packages per order, and linking the best shipping offers more directly to the loyalty program and Macy’s proprietary credit card to reward bigger spenders.