Federated reinvents 42 stores
US department store operator enhances customer experience
September 24 2002
Federated Department Stores is to upgrade 42 stores across the US as part of a strategy to ‘reinvent the department store’ in time for the 2002 holiday season.
By mid-November, 34 of its existing stores will be retrofitted with enhanced fitting rooms, ignage, price-check devices, lounge areas, in-store kiosks, revamped products ranges and a range of merchandising initiatives. Another eight new stores open this Autumn with the innovations already in place.
Federated’s chairman James M Zimmerman said: “We’ve made a powerful commitment to the process of constantly reinventing and improving the department store. This initial rollout of our most successful reinvent strategies represents the fastest and most comprehensive introduction of new store initiatives in Federated’s history, and it is an important milestone on our path of continuous improvement.”
The most successful elements will be integrated into all new and refurbished Federated stores over time.
Terry J Lundgren, Federated’s president, said: “We are continuously listening to the needs of our customers and then directing our reinvent strategies to meet them.”
Two years ago, Federated announced an ambitious process of testing a wide range of innovative design and merchandising concepts in selected pilot stores, then rolling out the most successful elements to other locations. Last Autumn, Federated opened a prototype store in Columbus, Ohio, trading under its Lazarus brand.
Federated currently operates more than 460 stores in 34 states, Guam and Puerto Rico, under the Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, The Bon Marche, Burdines, Goldsmith’s, Lazarus and Rich’s brands.
