Macy’s Closing 100 Stores: Will Tampa Bay Locations Be Impacted?

TAMPA BAY, FL — Tampa Bay area shoppers may soon have a few less Macy’s locations to visit. The company announced Thursday its plans to close 100 stores nationwide by early next year. The move continues a retail trend of reducing brick-and-mortar locations in favor of bolstering online sales.

Macy’s operates a number of stores in the Tampa Bay area, including four in Tampa, one in St. Petersburg, two in Clearwater, one in Brandon and one in Wesley Chapel. The fate of those locations remains unknown. Macy’s plans to announce which stores are closing at a later date, according to a press release issued Thursday.

The company does plan on keeping locations in 49 of the top 50 markets in the country. The retailer operates 728 stores at present, including 675 “full-line” locations.

Macy’s said it plans to focus its attention on its highest-performing stores while pouring more into "online shopping and mobile apps," according to the press release. In stores that stay open, Macy's plans to add new vendors and increased staffing. The company is planning on "infusing new technology, accentuating high-potential businesses such as fine jewelry, and creating new in-store events and experiences," the release said.

"Customers nearly everywhere in America will have easy access to Macy’s stores, with the additional convenience and increased functionality of our dynamic digital offering,” Macy's President Jeff Gennette said in the press release.

Employees affected by the closings will be offered posts at nearby stores when that’s feasible, the company said. Eligible employees will also be offered severance benefits.

In September, Macy's announced that it would be closing 40 locations.

Similar fates have befallen other major retailers. Walmart is slated to close 154 U.S. stores this year and just announced a $3 billion deal to purchase Jet.com as it looks to improve its online retail presence.

Sports Authority is closing all of its nationwide stores as it wades through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Target, Kmart, Sears, Kohl's and other major retailers have announced similar scale-backs.

Macy's was founded in 1858 when it opened four small department stores in Massachusetts. The company is now an iconic brand in retail nationwide and sponsors the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade through Midtown Manhattan.

For a complete listing of Macy’s locations in Florida, visit the store’s website.

Patch’s Marc Torrence contributed to this story