"At the well-appointed Macy's in the upscale Topanga Westfield mall in Los Angeles in June 2024, Spring walked the brand's former bête noire through the improvements he was starting to roll out at 125 "priority" stores: elegantly styled mannequins and more staffers in key areas; double the staffing in the women's shoe department; and three times as many in the dresses area. There were even live human beings manning the fitting rooms."
"Saunders had to admit, he was impressed. "Their merchandising is sharper," Saunders told Fortune. "There is greater neatness on the shop floor. They're starting to elevate the shopping experience." But perhaps the biggest change Saunders saw, he told Fortune, was Spring's openness to criticism-as shown by his willingness to engage with one of the brand's harshest critics. "This was a really big sea change," Saunders said."
Neil Saunders repeatedly posted photos showing extreme messiness at Macy's stores, including mounds of unfolded sweaters and fallen shelving. Tony Spring became Macy's CEO in early 2024 after leading Bloomingdale's for a decade and gave Saunders a tour of an upgraded Macy's in the Topanga Westfield mall. Macy's began rolling out changes at 125 priority stores, including styled mannequins, more staff in key areas, doubled staffing in women's shoes, tripled staffing in dresses, and staffed fitting rooms. Saunders observed sharper merchandising and greater neatness. Spring acknowledged past denial, called for reflection, and prioritized openness to criticism to improve performance.
Read at Fortune
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