Macy's Announces More Closings: Will the West Nyack Store Be Among Them?

WEST NYACK, NY — The Macy's store in the Palisades Center remains open, but that could change next year, because the company announced Thursday it will be closing another 100 stores by early 2017.

It is not known what stores will be affected in the newest round of closings. The move comes on the heels of the company closing 40 locations earlier this year.

There is a Macy's store at the Shops at Nanuet on Route 59 and at the Palisades Center in West Nyack.

Including the two Rockland County locations, there are 46 in New York state, that, together with the company's Bloomingdale's and Bluemercury stores, employ 7,400 people, according to the company's website. There are 728 Macy's stores nationwide, most of which are "full-line" locations.

The announcement is part of a trend in the retail world of reduced consumer locations following the double-whammy hit of the great recession and the incursion in sales from online retailers such as Amazon.

A Macy's press release announcing the changes said locations of stores that are closing "will be announced at a later date, once the company makes final decisions." Macy's will give more attention to its "online shopping and mobile apps," and focus its resources on its highest-performing stores.

The company is planning on "infusing new technology, accentuating high-potential businesses such as fine jewelry, and creating new in-store events and experiences," the release stated.

"Customers nearly everywhere in America will have easy access to Macy’s stores, with the additional convenience and increased functionality of our dynamic digital offering,” Macy's President Jeff Gennette said in the press release.

Employees who work at stores that are closing will be offered positions at nearby stores "where possible," Macy's says, and eligible part- and full-time employees will receive severance benefits.

Macy's was founded in 1858 when it opened four small department stores in Massachusetts. The company is now an iconic brand in retail nationwide and sponsors the annual Thanksgiving Day Parade through Midtown Manhattan.

By Marc Torrence, with additional reporting by Lanning Taliaferro