For years, Macy’s downtown flagship location on Nicollet Mall has been in the midst of a seeming downward spiral. In 2015, it discontinued its long-running Glamorama fashion show. Floors 6 to 11 of the former Dayton’s department store have been empty for years, and attempts to lease that space have failed. Plus, it’s difficult to find sales associates on the floor, the merchandise is mundane, and the store itself is desperately in need of cosmetic updates.
Those updates may never come. Today, the company has unveiled a list of 150 stores it plans to upgrade, and the only three included among Minnesota’s 11 Macy’s stores are its Mall of America, Southdale, and Ridgedale stores. Candidates for upgrades will receive higher-end merchandise, enhanced technology, and cosmetic improvements, plus more vendor shops, such as upscale beauty brand Bluemercury, which Macy’s bought last year. (Did you hear? A Bluemercury store quietly opened within Macy’s Southdale earlier this summer.)
Conspicuously absent from the list is Macy’s Nicollet Mall location. The news offers an indication of which stores are among the 100 the company plans to close next year. The retailer operates a total of 728 locations, so it doesn’t necessarily mean stores not on the list will close—though it’s not promising news for the struggling Nicollet Mall store.
