Out with Filene's, in with Macy's

The Filene's name brand is being retired, Federated Department Stores, Inc. announced this morning.

However, the fate of the landmark store in Boston's Downtown Crossing has not yet been decided, according to Jim Sluzewski, spokesman for Federated which owns Macy's and is in the process of merging with May Department Stores which owns Filene's.

"This is still under study," Sluzewski said, regarding the Downtown Crossing location where both Macy's and Filene's are anchor stores. "We have many options."

One of those options reported this morning on WBZ-radio had Macy's moving into the Filene's location. But Sluzewski insisted that decision has not been made. Other options include having a Bloomingdale's -- which is also owned by Federated -- move into one of the two anchor stores or abandoning one of the stores so that a Target department store could move in.

Sluzewski would not confirm if the company is in talks with Target.

Federated Department Stores, Inc. today announced it will add about 330 Macy's locations nationwide in 2006, as part of its pending takeover of May Department Stores Co.

Federated said it has identified 68 duplicate locations in 66 malls which will be divested starting in 2006 including the Filene's at the Burlington Mall and the the Filene's store at the Cape Cod Home Store in Hyannis, which employ 262 and 23 employees, respectively.

Cincinnati-based Federated also announced plans to sell 68 stores, 27 of them currently Federated stores, in 2006. The conversions will bring the total number of Macy's stores nationwide to 730, the company said.

According to a company press release, the current plan is to operate all May Company stores under their existing nameplates at least through the 2005 holiday shopping season.

"We have chosen to proactively announce our decisions as they are made so that our intentions are clear," Terry J. Lundgren, Federated's chairman, president and chief executive officer said in a statement. "This decision to expand the Macy's brand was based on careful study and new research on customer preferences in May Company communities.

According to the release, the following May Company stores will be renamed Macy's sometime in fall 2006:

-- Famous-Barr locations in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri;

-- Filene's locations in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont;

-- Foley's locations in Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas;

-- Hecht's locations in Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and the District of Columbia;

-- The Jones Store locations in Kansas and Missouri;

-- Kaufmann's locations in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia;

-- L.S. Ayres locations in Indiana;

-- Meier & Frank locations in Oregon, Utah and Washington;

-- Robinsons-May locations in Arizona, California and Nevada; and

-- Strawbridge's locations in Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The company said it is still studying the Marshall Field's name, which represents 60 stores. Federated also said it would maintain the Lord & Taylor name, currently on 58 stores.

Shareholders of Federated and St. Louis-based May approved the $11 billion takeover this month. Federated expects the merger to close in the third quarter, following completion of regulatory review.