Macy's Backstage Brings Outlet Prices To Ocean County Mall

TOMS RIVER, NJ – For months there have been persistent questions about how long the Macy's store at the Ocean County Mall would remain in business.

This week, the company signaled it plans to keep the store in place for some time yet, as it announced plans to convert part of it to a Macy's Backstage, an outlet store within the store.

"Macy’s Backstage "offers fashion-loving customers another way to shop at their favorite store by providing a store-within-store shopping experience, featuring significant savings on fabulous finds," the company said in a news release about the planned opening.

The new outlet store, which has a grand opening scheduled for March 24, will have about 17,200 square feet of dedicated retail space on the second level inside the full-line Macy’s. The grand opening will be celebrated with giveaways for the first 200 customers and special events throughout the day, the company said.

The announcement comes as the mall prepares for the shutdown of Sears which was announced in early January by Sears Holdings. The Sears closure fueled rumors that Macy's was next, as the company has been reducing its real estate holdings, according to a CNBC report.

“Our customers are excited about the Macy’s Backstage shopping experience,” said Michelle Israel, Macy’s senior vice president of off price. “Macy’s Backstage Ocean County was designed to bring great deals and the fun of the hunt into our existing Toms River location.

"If you’re looking for a fashion update, a last-minute gift, or a special treat for yourself, your home, or your pet, we have you covered," she said in the news release. "Backstage’s focus on value and newness guarantees that with each visit, shoppers will find an amazingly-priced assortment of recognizable brands and trends. Frequent deliveries ensure there is always a new reason to come in and shop.”

Seven free-standing Backstage stores opened in 2015 and 2016. In the subsequent years, Macy’s has opened more than 40 store-within-store locations, allowing customers to shop both merchandise offerings in one trip to their local mall. There are currently 52 Macy’s Backstage locations across the United States.

Macy’s Backstage is operated by its own buying team, the company said. That structure allows Backstage to deliver a constantly changing assortment of on-trend merchandise at 20 to 80 percent off traditional department store prices.

The outlet store also will carry apparel and accessory brands not currently available at full-line Macy’s, the news release said.

The store will include mobile check-out stations and shoppers can use their Macy’s credit card and earn and redeem Star Rewards at Backstage locations,

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