On Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2024, Macy’s announced that their Union Square location will be closing down. The process of shutting down these stores will happen over a few years, but by 2026, there will only be 350 Macy’s in the United States, compared to the current number of 507.
The state with the largest amount of Macy’s in the U.S. is California, with 89 stores, according to Macy’s. The Union Square Macy’s is the flagship store of California and has now made the list of one of the six closed flagship stores.
“I’m going to miss having Macy’s downtown and being able to go there,” said freshman Olivia Kantor. “It will be a very strange change for Union Square to no longer have Macy’s,”
This announcement was part of a larger statement that laid out Macy’s plans to close 150 stores after losing 71 million dollars in sales, according to Macy’s . Macy’s absence is very heartbreaking for some customers due to the nostalgia of the store, according to math teacher Lindsay MacGarva.
“It makes me sad because I have a lot of memories from visiting the shop. Like when I was a freshman at USF, a large group of people in my dorm would hop on the five and go to the Cheesecake Factory at the top and people watch,” MacGarva said. “The best time of year was Christmas because the store was always decorated for the holidays and there would be the ice skating rink, which added extra people watching,“
Macy’s mass closures were due to their fiscal results. Revenue was down by 5.5% in 2023 compared to 2022, and many of their locations were not bringing in enough money to fund their square footage, according to Macy’s Inc. Along with shutting down their San Francisco flagship location, some other notable closures include the Bayfair Center in San Leandro and the Simi Valley Town Center. All these stores shutting down is saddening for those who made many memories at Macy’s, according to freshman Sienna Kane.
“I am so sad to hear that Macy’s is closing and that so many of their stores are leaving,” said freshman Siena Kane. “I will miss the decorations around the store during the holidays; they always added something special to the holiday season and I have so many memories there,”
Mayor Breed says how there is hope for San Francisco to fill Macy’s vacancy, and says this is just the first step to change, and Union Square is evolving, and shoppers are excited to see what is coming next, according to SF.gov.
“I still just can’t believe that Macy’s will be closing,” says Kantor. “But I am excited to see what will replace it and what new things will happen next to Union Square.”
