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Could downtown Sacramento Macy’s be next to close? One local business leader thinks so

Reality Check is a Bee series holding officials and organizations accountable and shining a light on their decisions. Have a tip? Email realitycheck@sacbee.com.

A Sacramento business leader said Macy’s in downtown Sacramento is closing, but the retail giant has not confirmed it.

“Macy’s just closed in San Francisco, we know that they’re closing here,” said Barry Broome, president of the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, during a Feb. 27 City Council meeting. “We got an empty downtown, we got a structural (city) deficit.”

San Francisco officials last month confirmed the closure of its flagship Union Square store last month. City of Sacramento and Macy’s officials did not confirm the closure of the downtown Sacramento store.

It is a possibility however.

“Our new strategy is designed to create a more modern Macy’s, Inc. and enhance the customer experience,” a Macy’s spokesperson wrote in an email Monday. “We intend to close approximately 150 Macy’s stores while further investing in our 350 go-forward fleet over the next three years. A final decision on specific locations has yet to be made.”

Broome made the comment during a council discussion about a so-called community benefits agreement to ensure that the $1 billion UC Davis Aggie Square project in Oak Park comes with living wages for construction workers and new affordable units. He did not immediately return an email from The Sacramento Bee about Macy’s following the meeting.

The city has not been notified that Macy’s is closing in downtown Sacramento, said Jennifer Singer, a city spokeswoman.

The Macy’s store is the last remaining big box store from the former downtown mall, which was demolished in 2014 to make way for Golden 1 Center. Downtown malls across the country have been struggling in recent years amid the rise in online shopping.

This story was originally published March 7, 2024 at 5:00 AM.

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Theresa Clift
The Sacramento Bee
Theresa Clift is the Regional Watchdog Reporter for The Sacramento Bee. She covered Sacramento City Hall for The Bee from 2018 through 2024. Before joining The Bee, she worked for newspapers in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. She grew up in Michigan and graduated with a journalism degree from Central Michigan University.
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