Sep 21, 2005 6:31 pm US/Central
Will Name Change Mean New Look For Field's?
by Sylvia Gomez
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Chicagoans have had a day to get over the shock of losing the Marshall Field's name. Now the question is, what's going to change when Chicago's landmark department store turns into Macy's?
CBS 2's Sylvia Gomez reports from the Loop with a look.
Don't think that this will look just like any other Macy's. First the State Street store will be a flagship, so it's expected to be special.
The look of all stores will be customer-driven. In other words, they'll study and put into place what shoppers want.
It's day two of the announcement, and remarkably Marshall Field's, well, looks the same. Statuesque and graceful, even though its clock, so to speak, is ticking.
The new parent company is patting a gentle hand on those who are wringing theirs. The new Macy's will be great on State, and much will stay the same.
"It's an icon of Chicago," said Chicago Chef Rick Bayless.
Bayless operates a kiosk on seventh floor. Serving up his famed Frontera fare al fresco, he expects to do the same for Macy's, although his heart belongs to Marshall Fields.
"You can put any name on it. In the history of Chicago, it will always be that famous Marshall Field's building," Bayless said.
"We're in the era of the big global retailer – Wal-Mart, Target, Macy's," said business expert John Challenger.
So then, will the store look like the Macy's in New York? It depends on what the shoppers want.
Will the uniquely Field's brand names disappear? Or will its well-priced sweaters and fashions be called something Macy's? Well, it depends on what sells.
A Federated Department Stores spokesperson says the company will review the entire operation. It's about more than just a name.
In fact, 66 percent of the thousands people polled by Federated say they don't care about the name.
Who do you think they talked to?
"I have no idea, but if you're from Chicago, this is always going to be Marshall Field's," said shopper Bob Hazen.
Pollers didn't ask "would you like a name change?" Instead they asked, "If Marshall Fields became Macy's, would you be more likely, less likely or neutral to shop there."
It was posed to people across the country and to Chicagoans. In fact, they even talked to five focus groups.
Most said they still shop. And that answer was key to the name-change decision.
(© MMV, CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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