Macy's To Close NoVA Store In 2024

ARLINGTON, VA — The Macy’s store in Ballston is one of five stores that the department store chain plans to close across the U.S. in 2024, according to reports.

The Ballston location was already expected to close after the Arlington County Board approved a redevelopment plan for the building in 2022.

The store's closure will leave North Arlington without a department store for the first time in more than 70 years. The Hecht Co., which later became Macy's, and Kann's opened their department stores a few blocks from each other in Arlington in 1951. Kann's closed in the mid-1970s.

Macy’s also has a store in Pentagon City, which is not on the department store chain’s list for closure.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the job cuts at Macy's will total about 2,350 positions.

The other Macy’s stores set for closure in 2024 are in San Leandro, California; Lihue, Hawaii; Simi Valley, California; and Tallahassee, Florida.

"As we prepare to deploy a new strategy to meet the needs of an ever-changing consumer and marketplace, we made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce by 3.5 percent to become a more streamlined company," the company said in a statement to Axios.

In December 2022, Arlington County approved a 16-story glass-walled apartment tower with ground-floor retail on the current site of the Macy’s department store in Ballston.

The new building will feature 553 residential units as well as a grocery store on the ground level, replacing the Macy’s and vacant office space above it. The developers have not identified the grocery store that will move into the new space. A Harris Teeter is already located a few blocks south of Macy's on N. Glebe Road.

The Hecht Co. opened the store that is now Macy's in 1951 in Parkington. In 1986, Parkington was redeveloped as Ballston Common Mall. In 2006, Hecht’s was rebranded as Macy's after Federated Department Stores Inc., owner of Macy's and Bloomingdale's, agreed to acquire May Department Stores Co., operator of Hecht's and Lord & Taylor. About five years ago, Ballston Commons was rebranded as Ballston Quarter.

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