Macy’s recently confirmed that the location in the Redmond Town Center will close within months after a months-long clearance sale starting in mid-January.
The Redmond location is one of the town center’s anchor tenants, occupying a separate building connected by a skywalk. The store will close sometime after the clearance sale, planned to run through the end of March, according to Macy’s spokesperson, Joy Deinla.
“Macy’s, Inc. has been reviewing its real estate portfolio across the country to see if there are opportunities to improve the use of our assets,” Deinla said. “Macy’s previously shared this information with our valued colleagues.”
According to a Business Insider report, Macy’s announced in August 2016 that it would close 100 stores and has been doing so as location leases expire. These closures are part of the company’s shift toward online and mobile shopping as brick and mortar stores lose business to Amazon and other online retailers.
“The decision to close a store is always a difficult one, but Macy’s is delighted to have served the Redmond community over the past 16 years,” Deinla said, “and we look forward to continuing to do so at the nearby Macy’s in Bellevue and online at Macys.com.”
While the Bellevue location will remain, Macy’s is also closing the Northgate location, which has served that community for about 70 years.
Macy’s previously informed employees of the upcoming closures and those whom can’t shift to a nearby location “will be eligible for severance, including outplacement resources,” Deinla said.
OneRedmond CEO Bart Phillips said Macy’s is the only big box retail store in the city’s downtown.
“I think from a community standpoint it’s disappointing,” he said in a 2018 interview with the Reporter. “It just reduces local shopping options that much more.”
The Redmond Town Center has seen numerous tenant departures over the years, including seven retailers who let their 10-year leases expire in 2008, the Seattle Times reported. At the time, a real estate broker speculated sales were too low and new Redmond developments lured customers away.
Current business owners have said rents at Redmond Town Center continue to increase while lease terms are reduced. Turnover at the center is relatively high, owners said.
