Local Robinsons-May stores face cloudy future

Federated Department Stores Inc. announced plans Thursday to convert

several Robinsons-May stores into Macy’s stores. However, the

Cincinnati-based company did not reveal its intentions for stores in

Newport-Mesa.

In March, Federated announced plans to buy St. Louis-based May

Department Stores Co. in a $17-billion deal. Federated owns the

Macy’s chain and May owns Robinsons-May.

Federated shed some light on the futures of several department

stores by releasing plans to convert Robinsons-May stores into Macy’s

stores in 2006. That list said Robinsons-May stores in California

would become Macy’s. It also named 68 stores that would be sold in

markets that are home to both Macy’s and Robinsons-May.

Stores at Costa Mesa’s South Coast Plaza and Newport Beach’s

Fashion Island were not on the list. South Coast Plaza’s lineup

includes a Robinsons-May, a Macy’s and two Macy’s specialty stores:

Macy’s Home Furniture and Macy’s Men’s Store. Fashion Island is home

to a Robinsons-May and a Macy’s Women’s Store.

Federated spokeswoman Carol Sanger said Robinsons-May stores near

existing Macy’s stores that are not expected to be sold could have a

future under the Bloomingdale’s name. Another possibility Sanger

mentioned is for multiple versions of Macy’s stores to exist

side-by-side, as is the current case at South Coast Plaza.

Federated executives have yet to decide the fate of each

Robinsons-May store in their portfolio, Sanger said.

“They will make that decision probably after the first of the

year,” she said.

People closer to South Coast Plaza and Fashion Island said they

have yet to learn what will happen to the Robinsons-May stores at

those shopping centers.

Werner Escher, South Coast Plaza’s executive director of domestic

and international markets, said he did not know what will happen to

his center’s Robinsons-May and that any comment he could offer would

only be speculation.

Fashion Island is owned by the Irvine Co. Spokesman Bill Rams said

people at the Newport Beach-based real estate firm have yet to find

out what will become of the Robinsons-May at their shopping center,

where a Bloomingdale’s is already in business.

“It’s too early to say, but it can only get better,” Rams said,

noting that people at the Irvine Co. are optimistic about the store’s

future.

Federated and May shareholders gave their support to the merger

earlier this month. The deal is awaiting approval from federal

regulators. Federated officials have said they expect the merger to

close in the third quarter of this year.