Macy’s will open its first Miami outlet location at the Falls

While many Macy's locations are closing across the states, discount stores hope to compete with the rise of online retail

The Falls Mall
The Falls Mall

Macy’s is set to open a discount store later this summer on the second floor of its existing location at the Falls in south Miami-Dade.

Macy’s Backstage The Outlet Store will feature 16,300 square feet of retail space for discounted merchandise, according to the Miami Herald.

While many big-box retailers are crumbling at the virtual hands of online retail, Macy’s Backstage is trying to lure customers back to the store with deals of 20 percent to 80 percent off merchandise and designer goods compared to other department stores. The Falls, at 9100 Southwest 136th Street in Miami is owned by Simon Property Group.

To stay competitive and appease tech savvy consumers, the Falls location will feature mobile checkout stations, phone charging stations, and free Wi-Fi. Macy’s Backstage will accept traditional Macy’s credit cards, but according to the Herald, the outlet will likely more closely resemble TJ Maxx and Marshalls stores.

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In addition to the closing of the 108,000-square-foot store at CityPlace in West Palm Beach, Macy’s has closed about 100 of its department stores in the past year alone.

Macy’s Backstage at the Falls will be its fourth outlet location in Florida, joining stores at Boynton Beach Mall, Altamonte Springs Mall, and Edison Mall in Fort Meyers. In January, Macy’s said that it expected a financial blow of $575 million in 2017 because of stores closures, when it also announced that it would close five Florida locations this year. However, a January report found that while retail real estate vacancy was up for most of the country in the fourth quarter of 2016, it had declined to 5.7 percent in Miami for the same quarter.

The Macy’s discount concept is growing, according to the Miami Herald, with over 30 discount locations across the United States already and 30 more planned. [Miami Herald] — Grace Guarnieri