Macy's

What Macy's does

Macy's, Inc. (NYSE: M) is the largest U.S. department store retailer, operating a portfolio of three retail nameplates — Macy's (mid-market department stores), Bloomingdale's (luxury department stores), and Bluemercury (luxury beauty and spa) — alongside Macy's Backstage off-price locations. Founded in 1858, the company runs approximately 350 higher-performing Macy's full-line stores, ~40 Bloomingdale's, 300+ Backstage off-price locations, 122+ Bluemercury specialty beauty stores, and a small-format Macy's footprint, complemented by macys.com and bloomingdales.com e-commerce, mobile apps, and a third-party marketplace shipping to 100+ countries. Under CEO Tony Spring (appointed February 2024) and the 'Bold New Chapter' strategy, Macy's is rationalizing its store base (closing ~150 underperforming locations by 2028), refreshing ~200 'Reimagine' stores, and accelerating luxury growth at Bloomingdale's.

The company generates revenue primarily through direct merchandise sales across its banners, supplemented by marketplace commissions, retail-media advertising via Macy's Media Network (60+ ad placements powered by Pentaleap), licensing/royalty streams from monetizing ~$9B of owned real estate, and experiential revenue from iconic events (Thanksgiving Day Parade, 4th of July Fireworks, Flower Show). Its technology stack layers Google Cloud Gemini (powering the 'Ask Macy's' conversational AI assistant across 2.5M+ SKUs) and Adobe real-time decisioning for personalization on top of proprietary inventory and distribution systems (including an automated facility in China Grove, NC). Customer segments span affluent shoppers ($75K+ income driving luxury), luxury Bloomingdale's customers, mass-market value shoppers served through Macy's Backstage, and mall co-tenants. A new operating leadership team (including COO/CFO Tom Edwards from Capri Holdings, CIO Keith Credendino from Inspire Brands, and CCDO Max Magni from McKinsey) is executing the transformation. Berkshire Hathaway took a ~$55M (1%) stake in Q1 2026 — its first U.S. public department store investment in 60 years — as a notable validation of the turnaround thesis.

Name

Macy's

Legal name

Macy's, Inc.

Website

https://macysinc.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1858

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Macy's, Inc. (NYSE: M) operates the largest U.S. department store portfolio — Macy's, Bloomingdale's, and Bluemercury — across ~350 full-line stores plus Backstage off-price, e-commerce, marketplace, and media network, serving mass-market, affluent, and luxury consumer segments under the 'Bold New Chapter' transformation strategy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Department Store Retail

NAICS

Department Stores (4551)

SIC

Retail-Department Stores (5311)

akta.pro primary industry

Mid-Tier Department Stores (Apparel-Led) (CRAGACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Luxury Fashion & Designer Department Stores (CRAGADAC), Off-Price Fashion & Apparel Department Stores (CRAGAEAB), Fashion & Accessories Marketplaces (CRAFABAA)

Keywords

• Department store retail
• Fashion apparel
• Beauty products
• Home furnishings
• Luxury retail

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Merchandise Sales - Owned: Retail sales of owned merchandise across Macy's, Bloomingdale's, and Bluemercury brands through physical stores, e-commerce, mobile app, and marketplace. Core revenue driver representing the vast majority of total revenue.
2. Macy's Marketplace: Third-party seller platform integrated seamlessly into macys.com and Macy's app, offering expanded assortment of brands and categories. Marketplace items included in Star Rewards loyalty program.
3. Macy's Media Network: Retail media advertising platform offering 60+ ad placements across Macy's and Bloomingdale's including sponsored products, on-site display, off-site digital, branded experiences, and email marketing. Uses first-party data targeting and closed-loop reporting.
4. Real Estate Monetization: Estimated $9 billion in real estate assets being monetized through store closures and property strategies, with closed stores being repurposed (e.g., T&T Supermarket taking over Newark location).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Macy's operates department stores and digital channels selling fashion apparel, beauty products, home furnishings, accessories, and lifestyle merchandise under the Macy's, Bloomingdale's, and Bluemercury brands across mass-market and luxury price points. The company supplements its owned-merchandise retail business with a curated third-party seller platform (Macy's Marketplace) and a retail media advertising network (Macy's Media Network).

Product overview

Macy's, Inc. operates a portfolio of retail nameplates organized as a platform-plus-sub-brands model. The core brands include Macy's (mid-market department store), Bloomingdale's (luxury department store), and Bluemercury (luxury beauty and spa). Supporting the retail operations are Macy's Media Network (retail media advertising) and Macy's Marketplace (third-party seller platform). The company also operates private brand portfolios across all nameplates, runs experiential events (Macy's Flower Show, Thanksgiving Day Parade, 4th of July Fireworks), and maintains social impact initiatives including Mission Every One and The Workshop at Macy's accelerator. The digital ecosystem includes e-commerce sites, mobile applications, and AI-powered shopping tools like Ask Macy's.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Alfani: Private brand for apparel and accessories
• Bar III
• Charter Club
• INC
• On 34th
• M-61 Powerful Skincare
• Lune+Aster Cosmetics

Products and services

• Macy's department stores Iconic American department store chain offering fashion apparel, beauty products, home furnishings, and accessories across a national network of physical stores and digital channels for mass-market consumers.
• Bloomingdale's Upscale department store chain offering designer fashion, premium beauty products, and luxury home goods across physical stores, bloomingdales.com, and Bloomie's smaller-format stores.
• Bluemercury Specialty beauty retailer and spa chain offering cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, and in-store spa services through Bluemercury stores and bluemercury.com.
• Macy's Marketplace Curated third-party seller platform integrated with macys.com that connects third-party sellers with Macy's shoppers, expanding the assortment of categories and brands available to consumers.
• Macy's Media Network Retail media advertising network that enables brands and suppliers to advertise on Macy's owned digital and physical properties, monetizing shopper data and on-site traffic across the Macy's ecosystem.
• Macy's Backstage Off-price merchandise concept operating within select Macy's stores, offering discounted apparel, accessories, footwear, and home goods to value-oriented shoppers.
• Bloomingdale's The Outlet Outlet-store format offering discounted Bloomingdale's brand merchandise across apparel, beauty, and home categories for value-oriented luxury shoppers.
• Bloomie's Smaller-format Bloomingdale's concept store offering a curated assortment of the luxury brand's fashion, beauty, and home merchandise in compact physical locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.75x higher revenue per visit among Ask Macy's AI chatbot users vs non-users
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• PentaleapcoreTechnology or Integration · 22 June 2026Technology partnership powering Macy's retail media network, enabling more relevant online ads and multi-platform sponsored product placements for brand partners.
• Tiffany & Co. (Amanda Wells)strategicGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 June 2026Former 17-year Tiffany & Co. veteran Amanda Wells joined as Principal, Customer Experience - Omnichannel to lead omnichannel customer experience insights and strategy.
• T&T SupermarketminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 June 2026Canada's largest Asian grocery chain taking over former Macy's location at NewPark Mall in Newark, CA (72,600 sq ft, opening late 2027). Part of mall revitalization and Macy's store closure strategy. T&T's first CA store opened June 18, 2026 at Westgate Center in San Jose.
• U.S. Soccer FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2026Partnership supporting youth soccer access in underserved communities as part of 'World Soccer HQ' summer campaign. Includes kick-start donation and grassroots programming, with Foundation having installed 88 mini-pitches and reached 571,000+ young people in NYC 'soccer deserts'.
• KlarnacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 June 2026Buy-now-pay-later partnership making Klarna available as payment option at Macy's. Klarna positioned as 'American Express-style lifestyle brand' focusing on fashion and beauty partnerships to build customer preference. Part of Klarna's strategy to expand into larger purchases.
• KIKO MilanostrategicChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 May 2026Italian makeup brand making U.S. retail debut exclusively through Macy's on June 6, 2026, at Herald Square flagship and macys.com with ~650 SKUs. 'Pricetige' model (prestige quality at accessible prices). Plans to expand beyond Macy's later in 2026 with standalone stores in Miami and NYC.
• Google CloudcoreTechnology or Integration · 22 April 2026Partnership using Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience to power 'Ask Macy's' AI shopping concierge. Developed in just 4 weeks with dozens of engineers from both companies in daily standups. Addresses e-commerce cart abandonment rates (~70%) through conversational, personalized guidance.
• PetPaceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 14 April 2026AI-powered smart health monitoring collar with 24/7 veterinary telemedicine now available on Macys.com. Collar tracks vital signs and uses AI to detect abnormal health patterns with instant alerts to pet parents.
• AdobecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 April 2026Strategic partnership using Adobe's real-time decisioning capabilities to shift from transactional to relationship-based customer engagement. Part of 'Bold New Chapter' transformation. Max Magni, Macy's chief customer and digital officer, emphasizing collaborative approach to deliver relevant, connected experiences at scale.
• Momentus CapitalstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2026Collaboration for S.P.U.R. Pathways program providing capital access to entrepreneurs. Multi-year multifaceted funding program offering small business loans (up to $350K), commercial real estate loans (up to $30M), working capital loans, and impact investments ($1M+). U.S.-based small/diverse businesses serving retail ecosystem eligible.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Nordstrom: U.S. mid-to-upper department store chain selling apparel, beauty, and home across full-line stores, off-price Rack stores, and a sizable e-commerce business — directly comparable to Macy's across customer segment, store format, and omnichannel model.
• Kohl's: Mid-tier U.S. department store focused on value-conscious family and apparel shopping through ~1,100 mall-based stores and a growing Sephora-at-Kohl's beauty partnership — directly comparable to the core Macy's nameplate on price point, store format, and customer demographic.
• Dillard's: Regional U.S. department store chain with similar apparel-led, mid-to-upper merchandising mix and an owned-real-estate-rich balance sheet — a direct comp on operating model, customer base, and asset-backed capital structure.
• JCPenney: Mid-tier U.S. department store emerging from bankruptcy under new ownership, with similar store footprint, apparel-led assortment, and promotional pricing model — directly comparable to Macy's on format and value-segment positioning.
• TJX Companies: Largest U.S. off-price apparel and home retailer (T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods) — directly comparable to Macy's Backstage's 300+ off-price locations and the broader value-shopper customer Macy's is defending against.
• Ross Stores: U.S. off-price apparel and home retailer operating Ross Dress for Less and dd's DISCOUNTS — directly comparable to Macy's Backstage on off-price model, treasure-hunt merchandising, and value-customer overlap.
• Burlington Stores: U.S. off-price apparel and home retailer rapidly expanding store count — directly comparable to Macy's Backstage on off-price value proposition, growth strategy, and competition for the same price-sensitive shopper.
• Neiman Marcus: U.S. luxury department store group (including Bergdorf Goodman) — directly comparable to Bloomingdale's on luxury customer, designer assortment, and high-touch store experience.
• Saks Fifth Avenue: U.S. luxury department store recently combined with Neiman Marcus under Saks Global — directly comparable to Bloomingdale's on luxury positioning, designer brands, and affluent customer base.

Emerging players

• Sephora: Global multi-brand prestige beauty retailer and the dominant specialty beauty channel — directly comparable to Bluemercury (Macy's 122+ specialty beauty and spa stores) on assortment, customer, and the in-store services model Macy's is reinvesting behind.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/macys
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/macy
• Instagraminstagram.com/macysinc

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A4 records

Investments5 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Macy's