The decline of department stores continues to affect the retail industry, as Macy’s, Kohl’s, Nordstrom and JCPenney have announced that they will be closing more stores in early 2019. It’s part of a trend that is hitting fashion retail especially hard, since about half of the retailers that closed the largest number of stores in 2018 have fashion as their core business. Kohl’s will be shuttering all of its stores that are located in shopping malls, while almost all of the stores that Macy’s, Nordstom and JCPenney are closing are also located in shopping malls.
Many of the stores that are closing are not in economically depressed areas but are in areas with middle- or high-income levels, with the highest-income levels in places such as New York City’s Rego Park area; the San Francisco Bay Area’s Silicon Valley; West Los Angeles (near Beverly Hills); Redmond, Washington (a suburb of Seattle); and Fairfax County, Virginia. That’s probably because customers in these high-income areas are more likely to have the resources (credit cards with high credit lines) to do more online shopping than people with lower incomes. But that’s only part of the reason why these stores are closing. Based on customer review sites such as Yelp, these stores have been plagued for quite some time with complaints about bad customer service, declining appearance/cleanliness and unsatisfactory inventory.
According to Business Insider, these are the stores that will be closing in 2019:
Kohl’s
Kohl’s Rego Park at Rego Center in Rego Park, New York
Kohl’s Valley Stream at Green Acres Mall in South Valley Stream, New York
Kohl’s Lenexa in Lenexa, Kansas
Kohl’s Houma at Houma Crossing Mall in Bayou Cane, Louisiana
JCPenney
Three stores to be announced.
Macy’s
Macy’s at Casper Eastridge in Casper, Wyoming
Macy’s at Redmond Town Center in Redmond, Washington
Macy’s at Sunnyvale Town Center in Sunnyvale, California
Macy’s Furniture Gallery at Westside Pavilion in Los Angeles, California
Macy’s at Glendale Mall in Indianapolis, Indiana
Macy’s at Swansea Mall in Swansea, Massachusetts
Macy’s at Tysons Galleria in McLean, Virginia
Macy’s at Nanuet Mall in Nanuet, New York
Macy’s at Charleston Town Center in Charleston, West Virginia
Nordstrom
Nordstrom at The Mall at Wellington Green in Wellington, Florida
Nordstrom at MacArthur Center Mall in Norfolk, Northern Virginia
Nordstrom at Providence Place Mall in Providence, Rhode Island
Shopping habits have radically changed in the past 20 years. Online shopping is a trend that’s not only here to stay, it’s growing. And many retail companies that rely on brick-and-mortar stores for most of their sales have seen their business suffer as a result. The fashion retail business has been hit especially hard. Business Insider recently published a list of retailers that will close the most stores in 2018, and half of the companies on the list are retailers whose core business is fashion.
Trying on clothes and accessories in person and being able to bring home those purchases immediately may seem like the main reasons why people would want to do their fashion shopping in a brick-and-mortar store. But the reality is that many customers have been increasingly turned off by shopping in stores, for various reasons such as lousy customer service and the inconvenience of having to travel to a brick-and-mortar store. With many online retailers offering deep discounts, free shipping and convenient return policies, it’s easy to see why online shopping has become so attractive to consumers.
Here are the fashion retail companies that are facing the most closures in 2018, according to Business Insider and other sources.
1. Ascena Retail Group (Parent company of Ann Taylor, Loft, Lane Bryant, Dress Barn, Catherines and Maurices)
Number of stores expected to close: 667
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v247HadJXyM
2. Gap Inc. (Parent company of Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Intermix, Weddington Way and Athleta)
Number of stores expected to close: 200
3. The Children’s Place
Number of stores expected to close: 144
5. Signet Jewelers (Parent company of Sterling Jewelers, Kay Jewelers, Jared and Zales)
Number of stores expected to close: 120
6. Foot Locker
Number of stores expected to close: 110
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lOsE2FBdHE
7. Gymboree
Number of stores expected to close: 102
8. Payless ShoeSource
Number of stores expected to close: 100
9. Abercrombie & Fitch (Parent company of Abercrombie & Fitch, Abercrombie Kids and Hollister Co.)
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (Photo courtesy of NBCUniversal)
The following is a press release from NBC:
This Thanksgiving, a magical march returns to the streets of New York City and to homes across the U.S. as the 91st Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® kicks off the holiday season with its signature spectacle of wonder. On Thursday, Nov. 23 (9 a.m.-noon in all time zones), the streets of Manhattan will come alive at the sound of “Let’s Have a Parade!” Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker of NBC’s “Today” will host the broadcast. Telemundo will simulcast the parade in Spanish, with the event hosted by Carlos Ponce, Jessica Carrillo and Karim Mendiburu.
Ready to spread holiday cheer, the annual procession is sure to delight more than 3.5 million spectators and more than 50 million viewers nationwide with its traditional merriment. Since the first march in 1924, the Macy’s Parade has captivated audiences and become synonymous with the start of the holiday season. For the 91st edition, the line-up will feature 17 giant character balloons; 28 legacy balloons, balloonicles, balloonheads and trycaloons; 26 floats; 1,100 cheerleaders and dancers; more than 1,000 clowns; 12 marching bands; and 6 performance groups.
The star power on parade will once again feature some of the nation’s most riveting performers. Taking to the streets of New York City on board one of Macy’s signature floating stages and thrilling the nation with their performances at Herald Square will be 98 Degrees, Lauren Alaina, Cam, Sabrina Carpenter, Andra Day & Common, Sara Evans, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots, Flo Rida, Goo Goo Dolls, Kat Graham, Andy Grammer, Angelica Hale, Olivia Holt, Nicky Jam, Wyclef Jean, Bravo’s Top Chef stars Padma Lakshmi & Tom Colicchio, Dustin Lynch, Miss America 2018 Cara Mund, Leslie Odom Jr. and the cast & Muppets of Sesame Street, Bebe Rexha, Smokey Robinson, Jojo Siwa and more.
On 34th Street, Broadway’s best shows will take a star turn in front of Macy’s famed flagship with special performances from the casts of “Anastasia,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Once On This Island” and “SpongeBob SquarePants – The Broadway Musical.” In addition, the show-stopping Radio City Rockettes® will bring their signature high-kicking magic to Herald Square.
“The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is one of our great holiday traditions and we’re thrilled to be able to once again bring the pageantry and spectacle to viewers across the country,” said Doug Vaughan, Executive Vice President, Special Programs and Late Night, NBC Entertainment. “We can’t wait to see all the balloons, floats and high-end entertainment that have become such an integral part of this wonderful event.”
“For more than 90 years, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has signaled the start of the holiday season for millions of families. We are thrilled to once again come together as a nation to give this gift of joy and wonder to all,” said Susan Tercero, group vice-president of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. She added, “Our incredible team has planned a fantastic spectacle featuring an amazing line-up of giant character balloons, floats of fantasy, the nation’s best marching bands and performance groups, a dazzling array of musical artists, all coming together to herald the arrival of the one-and-only Santa Claus.”
The Macy’s Parade is always a unique multi-level, magical march that provides spectators with different experiences, whether they watch it on television with friends and family or scout the perfect spot on the route to watch it unfold live. To give fans another unique viewing opportunity, Macy’s, along with NBCUniversal and Verizon will once again take viewers closer to the magic via up close and personal views of the event through a 360-degree livestream of the parade on Verizon’s YouTube page. The stream, found at www.youtube.com/verizon, will be synced with the start of the Parade.
FLYING ICONS
Taking flight on Turkey Day will be the Parade’s signature giant character helium balloons. Since their introduction in 1927, these giants of the sky have featured some of the world’s most beloved characters. This year four giant characters will debut, including Olaf from Disney’s “Frozen,” Illumination presents Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, Jett from Super Wings™ and PAW Patrol®.
The balloon line-up will also feature the return of Harold the Baseball Player, a legacy Macy’s character prominently featured in Twentieth Century Fox’s iconic holiday film classic “Miracle on 34th Street.” In celebration of the film’s 70th anniversary, the Harold heritage balloon has been recreated for this year’s Parade, painted in hues of black, white and grey, to look exactly as it did on-screen during a memorable scene in the 1947 film. In addition to Harold, the famed spokesduck, the Aflac Duck, will debut as an all-new balloonicle (a Macy’s Parade innovation of hybrid cold-air balloon and vehicle) and is sure to have fans quacking with joy and laughter down the route.
Returning giant balloon characters include Angry Birds’ Red; Charlie Brown; Diary of a Wimpy Kid®; Sinclair’s Dino®; the Elf on the Shelf®; Hello Kitty®; Ice Age’s Scrat and His Acorn; Pikachu™; Pillsbury Doughboy™; Red Mighty Morphin Power Ranger; Ronald McDonald®; SpongeBob SquarePants; and DreamWorks’ Trolls.
THE STAGE FOR ENTERTAINMENT
Floating down the route this Thanksgiving, the Parade’s signature floats transport spectators to worlds of wonder. Designed and created by the incredible artists of Macy’s Parade Studio, which include carpenters, painters, animators, sculptors, metal fabricators, scenic/costume designers and electricians, this year’s line-up of floats sets an unparalleled stage for entertainment. The painstaking process of creating a Macy’s Parade float is both a creative and technical endeavor. Macy’s Parade floats are often three-stories tall and several lanes of traffic wide, but must collapse to no more than 12½-feet tall and 8-feet wide in order to travel safely from the New Jersey home of the Parade Studio, to the Manhattan starting line via the Lincoln Tunnel each Thanksgiving eve. These creations are not only works of art, but also engineering marvels.
This year five new floats will debut including Everyone’s Favorite Bake Shop by Entenmann’s® (Sara Evans), Harvest in the Valley by Green Giant® (Lauren Alaina), Parade Day Mischief by Sour Patch Kids® Candy (Nicky Jam), Shimmer and Shine by Nickelodeon (Jojo Siwa) and Universal Playground by Sprout® (Angelica Hale). A special float by Delta Air Lines will also debut to commemorate the season of togetherness with the perfect gift of song, as more than 125 Macy’s employees gather to form a one-of-a-kind cross-generational choir aboard the Macy’s Singing Christmas Tree.
The returning float roster includes 1-2-3 Sesame Street by Sesame Street (Leslie Odom Jr. and the cast and Muppets of “Sesame Street“); The Aloha Spirit by King’s Hawaiian (Goo Goo Dolls), Big Apple by N.Y. Daily News (Bebe Rexha); Big City Cheer! by Spirit of America Productions (Miss America 2018 Cara Mund); Building a Better World by Girl Scouts of the USA (Andra Day and Common); The Colonel’s Road Trip to NYC by Kentucky Fried Chicken (Dustin Lynch); The Cranberry Cooperative by Ocean Spray®; Deck the Halls by Balsam Hill® (Olivia Holt); Discover Adventure! by Build-A-Bear (Sabrina Carpenter); Frozen Fall Fun by Discover®/NHL (Wyclef Jean) and NHL Hockey Hall of Famers Ray Bourque & Bryan Trottier); Fun House by Krazy Glue® (Flo Rida); Heartwarming Holiday Countdown by Hallmark Channel (98 Degrees); It’s All Rock & Roll by Gibson Brands (Jimmy Fallon & The Roots); Mount Rushmore’s American Pride by South Dakota Department of Tourism (Smokey Robinson); On The Roll Again by Homewood Suites by Hilton® (Andy Grammer); Santa’s Sleigh; Snoopy’s Doghouse by Peanuts Worldwide; Stirrin’ Up Sweet Sensations by Domino® Sugar (Cam); Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Nickelodeon (Kat Graham); and Tom Turkey featuring Bravo’s Top Chef (Padma Lakshmi, Tom Colicchio).
DRUM ROLL, PLEASE …
Marching bands are a central piece of the Thanksgiving delights, bringing national excitement and hometown pride to the streets of the Big Apple, not to mention the musical beat to the holiday revelry. Twelve performance ensembles will take up the call of the baton and march down the streets of Manhattan. This year’s bands include Colony High School (Palmer, Alaska), Davis High School (Kaysville, Utah), Rosemount High School (Rosemount, Minn.), West Harrison High School (Gulfport, Miss.), Rockford High School (Rockford, Mich.), Ohio University (Athens, Ohio), Nation Ford High School (Fort Mill, S.C.), Trumbull High School (Trumbull, Conn.), Prairie View A&M University (Prairie View, Texas), the United States Air Force Band and Honor Guard, Macy’s Great American Marching Band (United States) and the NYPD Marching Band (New York, NY).
Specialty Parade entertainment always promises a unique, exciting, and sometimes humorous look at the nation’s finest performance groups. Returning to the line-up this year are the dancers and cheerleaders of Spirit of America Dance Stars and Spirit of America Cheer. These groups combined feature more than 1,000 of the nation’s very best performers recruited from small towns and big cities. Days before Thanksgiving, they will gather for the first time in NYC, ahead of their once-in-a-lifetime national spotlight. Adding to the dance floor revelry will be 34th & Phunk, a special group commissioned and produced by Macy’s with organizers from the United States Tournament of Dance. Choreographed by the legendary artist Willdabeast Adams and acclaimed dancer Janelle Ginestra, 34th & Phunk will be a one-of-a-kind hip-hop dance crew featuring performers of all ages and from all walks of life, who have a passion for dance and precision movement. Bringing a Broadway flair to the spectacle will be the talented kids of Camp Broadway, who this year have auditioned and selected dancers/singers from military bases around the nation, and who will pay tribute to America with their performance. Rounding out the performance group list are the zany Red Hot Mamas (Post Falls, Idaho) who will deliver their signature humorous take on the holiday season, along with the whimsical stars of the Big Apple Circus (New York, NY).
INTERACTIVE FUN
This year the magic of Macy’s iconic balloons and Parade artistry will head south for the winter to give fans an up close and personal experience for the holidays. Starting on Saturday, Nov. 18, Universal Orlando Resort’s destination-wide Holidays celebration begins, featuring the all-new “Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s.” This one-of-a-kind experience is where merry and mayhem mesh to create a fantastic treat for park guests that features more than 15 incredibly detailed floats, colorful stilt-walkers and characters, and a specially created cast of all new Macy’s balloons that you can’t see anywhere else. Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s will run daily from Nov. 18 through Jan. 6.
The 91st Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will begin at 9 a.m. from 77th Street and Central Park West. The procession will march to Columbus Circle, turn onto Central Park South and march down 6th Avenue/Avenue of the Americas. At 34th Street, the Parade will make its final turn west and end at 7th Avenue in front of Macy’s Herald Square. “A Holiday Treat for Children Everywhere” has been the guiding motto of this annual tradition for more than nine decades and is the mandate that continues to this day.
Please note: All talent, performances, elements and information included are subject to change.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade broadcast is produced by the Emmy Award-winning Brad Lachman Productions. Brad Lachman serves as executive producer, Bill Bracken will co-executive produce and Ryan Polito directs.
For more information on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, please visit www.macys.com/parade or call the Parade hotline at 212-494-4495. Follow @macys on various social networks and join the conversation using #MacysParade.
Universal Orlando Resort’s Christmas at Hogwarts (Rendering courtesy of Universal Orlando Resort)
Universal Orlando Resort is debuting several Christmas/winter holiday attractions, which will run from November 18, 2017 to January 6, 2018. Access to the festivities is included in regular admission to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Packages start at $165 (U.S. dollars) per adult, per night (tax inclusive) and include four-night hotel accommodations at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort, a four-day/three-park ticket that includes admission to all three Universal theme parks, including Universal’s new water theme park, Volcano Bay, which grand opens on May 25, 2017,and early park admission to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Volcano Bay.
Here are the details, according to a Universal Orlando Resort press release
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter will give guests a special opportunity to see, feel and even taste what it’s like to celebrate the magic of Christmas in J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World.
As night falls, a magical holiday transformation of Hogwarts castle will take place right before guests’ eyes. Incredible state-of-the-art projection mapping and special effects will wrap the iconic castle, bringing holiday spirit and memorable Christmas moments from the Harry Potter series to life like never before.
Festive decor like ornate garlands will line the streets of both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Each storefront will be decked out with uniquely-themed decorations, and guests will enjoy special holiday themed food, drink and entertainment.
Universal’s Holiday Parade Featuring Macy’s
A brand-new holiday parade experience will also join Universal Orlando’s resort-wide Holiday celebration beginning this November. Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s will take place in Universal Studios Florida and feature magnificent new, incredibly-detailed floats and balloons, and beloved characters like the mischievous Minions from Despicable Me, popular DreamWorks characters from “Madagascar” and “Shrek” – and even Santa Claus himself. Universal is partnering with Macy’s, the global leader in balloon entertainment, to bring this new parade experience to life. More details will be released soon.
