Bethany Biron/Business Insider
Bloomingdale's The Outlet in Manhattan.
- Though Macy's has struggled in recent quarters, the company continues to point to its off-price brands Macy's Backstage and Bloomingdale's The Outlet as "a highlight of the company's performance."
- Today there are 19 Bloomingdale's The Outlet stores across 10 states, which have continued to serve as competitors to brands like Nordstrom Rack and Saks Off Fifth.
- We visited Bloomingdale's The Outlet in Manhattan, and though it was a bit of a disorganized mess, it also boasted an impressive array of designer goods and was brimming with customers on a recent Tuesday.
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Macy's is hoping its off-price ventures might help keep the struggling retailer afloat.
The company - which also owns Bloomingdale's and Bluemercury, in addition to its namesake department-store brand - announced an ambitious restructuring plan earlier this month designed to "stabilize profitability" following a period of slumping sales. As part of the multi-part strategy, Macy's announced it would expand its off-price Backstage locations, which along with Bloomingdale's The Outlet have served as "a highlight of the company's performance," according to a Macy's press release.
Today Macy's operates 19 Bloomingdale's The Outlet locations in 10 states, and while the revitalization plan doesn't call for an expansion of the brand, it has consistently performed well for its parent company.
Macy's first launched Bloomingdale's The Outlet in 2010, in response to rising demand for off-price fashion in the face of the recession. Since then, it has become a viable competitor to the growing assortment of lower-priced luxury department-store brands including Nordstrom Rack and Saks Off Fifth.
We shopped at Bloomingdale's The Outlet in Manhattan on a recent Tuesday and though the store was overwhelmed with inventory, it was also filled with shoppers. Here's what it was like.