MA Coronavirus: Macy's Furloughing Most Of Its Workers

PEABODY, MA —Macy's, which has 17 Massachusetts locations, will furlough most of its 130,000 workers, the company said Monday.

In addition to its Massachusetts stores, Macy's has four stores in New Hampshire and two in Rhode Island. The company's 680 U.S. stores and 190 specialty stores have been closed since March 17, a day before Simon Property Group, the nation's largest operator of shopping malls, said all of its properties would be closed at least through March 29 to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Those closings have been extended indefinitely.

Those stores will not reopen until Macy's has a "clear line of sight on when it's safe to reopen."

Macy's will continue to sell merchandise through its online retail space, but said it has lost a majority of its sales because of the closing of its brick-and-mortar locations. The company is not specifying the total number of workers it will furlough, and it did provide the total number of employees in New England.

In addition to its Macy's and Bloomingdale anchor brands, the company operates 190 specialty stores, including Bloomingdale's The Outlet, Bluemercury and Macy's Backstage.

As of Sunday, there were 4,955 confirmed coronavirus cases in Massachusetts. To date, 48 people in Massachusetts have died from the virus. Across the country, officials have been increasingly placing restrictions and urging people to stay home to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Don't miss updates about precautions in your area as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.