A recent CNBC article described boomers are sticking to department stores while Gen Zers felt no such loyalty. Is this trend irreversible?

Macy’s has been showing signs of relative strength despite falling from a high station. Is it possible for it to escape an eventual sale?

Activist investor Barington Capital is urging Macy’s to explore spinning off Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury. Do you see more benefits than drawbacks in doing so?

Legendary department store Bloomingdale’s has announced a holiday partnership with Universal Pictures’ “Wicked.”

Macy’s has announced a new turnaround plan that calls for the closing 150 of its traditional department stores while ramping up the expansion of smaller-format stores and luxury concepts. What other steps should they be exploring to reimagine the department store business?

Macy’s revealed plans to lay off around 3.5% of its staff and shut down five of its stores as part of the American department store chain’s strategy to reduce costs and revive slowing sales.

Incoming Macy’s CEO, Tony Spring, and current CEO, Jeff Gennette, highlighted the strength of Macy’s non-namesake brands, including high-end department store…

Macy’s is pushing forward with new store formats as it seeks to turn around its fortunes following a disappointing quarter. ill the smaller-format stores be enough to return Macy’s as a whole to growth?

Macy’s, Inc. CEO Jeff Gennette, 61, has said he will retire in February after nearly 40 years working for the department store giant.

The merchant role has become more analytics-driven with big data helping guide pricing optimization, inventory and mitigating supply chain disruption.

Bloomingdale’s is going small in Seattle, saying it will open a new Bloomie’s, its small off-mall store concept, this year in University Village in the Ravenna neighborhood, north of the city’s downtown. Do you see the Bloomie’s concept as a smart way for Bloomingdale’s to scale its operations to new markets around the U.S.?

Sephora recently began selling vibrators and lubricants online, following similar moves last year by Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom and Saks.com as part of an emerging “sexual wellness” trend. Has this trend opened up a big opportunity for department stores and beauty chains as well as a bigger one for mass and drug store chains?

Bloomingdale’s has announced the launch next month of a new concept store that it promises will deliver the best of what the department store has to offer, but in a smaller space. Will the new Bloomie’s small store concept prove successful for Bloomingdale’s?

Despite the stream of negative news this year, 63 percent of consumers said the holidays will still be a time of joy with Gen Z and Millennials looking forward to the season far more than older generations, according to a recent survey. What themes should this year’s holiday campaigns embrace?

Timing, as the saying goes, is everything, and Jeff Gennette, CEO of Macy’s, Inc., thinks that there has never been a better time for Bloomingdale’s to shine. Do you agree that struggling competitors and the shift in consumer spending away from experiences have worked in Bloomingdale’s favor?

Macy’s, Inc. announced earlier this week that it will end the sale of garments with animal fur by the end of its 2020 fiscal year. How will going fur-free impact the image consumers have of the Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s brands?

In a partnership with LG Electronics, Bloomingdale’s plans to sell major appliances and TVs for the first time. Will Bloomingdale’s find success with its test of the LG Signature store-within-a-store concept?

Nordstrom this year has come out with three standalone collections completely tied to star social influencers. Do you see retail collaborations with lifestyle bloggers on curated collections as more of a fad or a trend?

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s nuptials seem to have captivated many Americans, and some U.S. marketers are looking to cash in. How successful do you expects retailers and brands to be with promotions tied to the upcoming royal wedding?

Declining department store traffic has compelled mall anchors to make some unprecedented moves to draw customers. Recently two major department store retailers have begun discounting in an area typically off-limits for price drops. Will offering discounts on makeup provide a meaningful lift in sales or traffic for department stores?

Bloomingdale’s workers last week held a rally outside the upscale chain’s 59th Street flagship in New York City and are threatening to go on strike in part because they feel they’re not getting fairly compensated for online sales. Should in-store staff be compensated for supporting online sales?

Macy’s, Inc. announced yesterday that it plans to close 100 of its 728 department stores. The company has positioned the move as a necessary step to drive profitable growth and provide the types of returns its investors expect.

Macy’s, Inc., like many of its department store peers, found tough going in 2015. In response, the owner of Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s has announced that it will close 40 stores and eliminate more than 4,500 positions as part of its corporate restructuring. What is your assessment of the challenges that face Macy’s, Inc.?

When a suit you buy at Macy’s or Bloomingdale’s doesn’t fit, getting it fixed right is a pretty straightforward proposition. But what happens when you try to recreate the process online? What type of impact will the zTailors program have on online sales of clothing for Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s?

A major concern when any retailer launches an off-price concept is to avoid creating a new competitor that pulls sales away from its core business. Since Macy’s revealed its off-price concept, many have wondered how the chain will navigate that particular conundrum. How would a Macy’s off-price store look if you were responsible for its creation?

Macy’s has reached an agreement to acquire Bluemercury, a luxury beauty products and spa services retailer, for $210 million in cash. What is your assessment of Macy’s deal to acquire Bluemercury? What will Macy’s do for Bluemercury and what will Bluemercury do for Macy’s?

Macy’s, Inc. wants all its stakeholders to know that it’s not resting on its digital laurels. Yesterday the company outlined a wide variety of initiatives management believes will set it apart from the competition. How does Macy’s, Inc. compare to other retailers when it comes to progress on the omni-channel front?

Undiscriminating flattery may suit some. Not all. Whereas many retailers are introducing technology to women’s changing rooms so customers can instantly get reactions from trusted friends, British plus-size clothing retailer Yours has taken things a step further. Will automated comments in changing rooms have the desired effect of making customers feel good about themselves and, in turn, increase sales?

Hobbs, described as one of Kate Middleton’s (AKA the Duchess of Cambridge) favorite retailers, is moving into the U.S. market after agreeing to open shops inside of five Bloomingdale’s. Do you expect to see many other retailers from outside the U.S. partnering with merchants here to gain entry to the American market?

L Brand’s CEO Les Wexner may think of department stores as being “irrelevant,” but Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s clearly didn’t get the memo on the heels of a third quarter where comparable store sales for Macy’s Inc. increased 3.5 percent and profits were far ahead of Wall Street expectations. Why do Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s continue to succeed while others in the department store business struggle?

Buying a dress for a special event and then returning it the next day may make for some laughs on sit-coms but, in the real world, wardrobing, as it is called, cost retailers nearly $9 billion last year. What do you think of Bloomingdale’s attempt to curtail wardrobing?

Research by Boston Consulting Group projects a growing number of American manufacturers moving operations back to the U.S. from China as wages and other factors make it more expensive to produce goods there. Is there a competitive advantage to be gained by retailers that market branded and private label goods manufactured here?

Macy’s Inc. announced Bloomingdale’s is following Nordstrom and a host of other competitors into the outlet business with plans to open four stores in the summer or fall of this year. What are your thoughts on the rush by a growing number of retailers to open outlet stores?

A 13-week test where EPC Gen 2 passive UHF RFID tags were put on denim jeans in a Bloomingdale’s store found that the technology improved inventory accuracy and count speed versus bar codes used in a control store. What does this latest retail environment test of RFID mean for its actual implementation?

Fact: The average woman in the U.S. weighs 164 pounds and wears a size 14 dress…. Fact: The average woman is pretty much out of luck in many shops in the U.S. if she thinks she can go into a store and buy something that will fit her. Are retailers missing an opportunity by not carrying clothes that fit the average-sized woman in America?

With the arrival of Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October, consumers already can find everything from jewelry to sporting goods to kitchen appliances in shades of pink. Are retailers and brands “doing the right thing” to support breast cancer awareness and research or somewhat overdoing it at this point?

Bloomingdale’s announced last week that it plans to stop publishing its Bloomingdale’s By Mail catalog and shift its entire direct-to-consumer focus to the its website. The department store made the decision after seeing sales growth at Bloomingdales.com far outpace its catalog business. What is the nature of the relationship between catalogs and websites in direct-to-consumer operations?

Forget notebooks and pencils. Teens and tweens enamored with celebrities and fashion are looking for $200 designer handbags and $100-plus jeans this back-to-school season How sizeable is the luxury opportunity in teens and tweens? What do you think is driving this trend?

Despite the problems faced by others, Bloomingdale’s is also looking to decipher the code that will enable it to capture a greater share of the fashion dollars spent by women in the 35-to-45-year-old age group. Bloomie’s answer is a new store-within-a-store boutique concept dubbed Quotation. Why did Forth & Towne and Janeville fail and what must Quotation do to succeed?

Four years ago, Bloomingdale’s was firmly positioned in the great middle of department store retailing. That was a position Michael Gould, chairman and CEO of Bloomingdale’s, found untenable and so began a repositioning that took the chain to the high end of the market. What is your take on where Bloomingdale’s was and where it has come to today?

The sweet smell of success has taken on a whole new meaning. Retailers are increasingly turning to enjoyable scents, pumped into stores, to make shoppers comfortable and more willing to spend. Alan Hirsch, neurological director of the Smell & Taste Treatment & Research Foundation, told Forbes.com, “Smell has a greater impact on purchasing than everything else combined….” Where does scent generally rank in retailers’ strategy to encourage consumer purchases?