Federated Department Stores, the owner of Macy's and Bloomingdale's, among many other regional chains, announced yesterday that it would change the name of the Marshall Field's chain based in Chicago to Macy's. The name change doesn't take place until Fall 2006, so they've given themselves time to come to their senses.
Field's is a 153-year-old Chicago institution, whose State St. store is one of the signature buildings in the city. It survived the Chicago Flood and the Great Chicago Fire, but it didn't survive the F-word. You can't grow up in Chicago without being familiar with the Walnut Room and the Christmas decorations in the windows. The building is featured on postcards in Chicago. When it comes to local retail, Field's isn't just the biggest name, but there is no real #2.
Now, F-word comes in and slaps a mediocre New York department store name on it. That's like renaming Wrigley Field "Yankee Stadium," or calling the Hancock Center the "Empire State Building."
Well, I have news for you, F-word. We're very provincial in Chicago. Very. And we hate New York. Killing Field's is bad enough. Naming it Macy's will go over here like New Coke.
F-word will say they're trying to create a national brand. We don't care. We like our local brand. They'll say they can save money using national advertising. We don't care.
Field's has suffered in recent years after Target bought it and tried to turn it into a Wal-Mart, but things had turned around in the last year or so. Now, they've alienated many of the customers they have left, and they're unlikely to win any new ones. Nobody is going to grow up here with memories of Macy's. Not good ones, anyway.
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8 comments:
We had a similar situation here in Florida where Burdines, long known as the Florida store, which was the original department store in Downtown Miami back in 1898 (two years after Miami was founded) became Macy's earlier this year. Burdines had actually been owned by Federated since the 1950s, but still the name change came as quite a shock.
That's a travesty. A traveshamockery, in fact.
Seriously, that sucks.
They might as well get rid of the Frango mints while they're at it.
Actually, the F-word president or CEO or Grand Poobah (I forget his actual title) said they might consider moving Frango production back to Chicago. Like anyone would buy them now.
F-word said they did market research on 2500 people to see if the name change would be accepted. Would love to know who those 2500 people were - sort of like a "jury of our peers." I have cut up my credit card and will not be crossing the F-word's threshold.
Coke did "market research" on New Coke too.
This would be shooting themselves in the foot. One of the things I inherited from my late Mom was a fondness for Marshall Fields. I think if she ever visited a Macy's it was just as a tourist.
Federated would probably have been better served by shutting down it's Macy's division...
They're doing the same everywhere. Here in Portland, OR they're buying out Meier & Frank and changing its name to Macy's. Meier & Frank was literally the first department store in the city of Portland and has survived for over 125 years, which in Portlandmakes it older than virtually anything else.
Sigh...
in the detroit area, the hudson's stores were bought out and renamed marshall's fields. growing up in the chicago area, i didn't mind the change; however, a lot of natives here didn't like the change. the hudson store in downtown detroit was THE store to go before suburban malls proliferated. now, it is no longer around, though its warehouse was incorporated into Ford Field, home of the Lie-Downs.
I will be sorry to see the name 'Marshall Fields' go. Hopefully, the powers that be come to their senses.
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