NEW YORK CITY — Macy’s Inc. will lay off 3,900 employees in corporate and management positions, representing approximately 3 percent of its total workforce, according to a company statement issued today. Macy’s expects the reduction of staff to save approximately $365 million in operating costs for its 2020 fiscal year. Macy’s recently projected that it would show a $1.1 billion loss in operating income for its first quarter ending in early May, a result of temporary and permanent store closures, as well as significantly reduced sales amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The company will release its final first-quarter earnings results on July 1.
At the close of 2019, Macy’s owned and operated a total of nearly 840 stores across its flagship and Bloomingdale’s brands. Prior to the health and economic crisis, Macy’s had announced plans to close 125 of its least productive stores over the next three years beginning in February. As part of the plan, the retailer also closed its offices in San Francisco, downtown Cincinnati and Lorain, Ohio, leaving the New York City office as its sole corporate headquarters. Macy’s stock price closed at $6.78 per share on June 24, down from $37.43 per share at the same time last year.