Before the coronavirus outbreak, Macy’s had already committed to shutting 125 of its locations over the coming three years in an announcement made in February 2020. Along with the closures, the department store giant said that 2,000 jobs would be cut as it looked to boost profits. In 2020, 28 Macy’s stores and one Bloomingdale’s location closed their doors for the final time.
A list of 37 locations set to close in 2021 was then published by the retailer last January, which would affect stores in 19 states. Some of those outlets have been turned into fulfilment centers to keep up with the uptick in online sales, which grew by 53% year-on-year in the second quarter and then at a slower rate of 27% in the third quarter of 2020. At the start of this year, Macy's announced that it will be closing a further six stores throughout Alabama, California, Colorado, Missouri, and Texas.