Macy’s, Nordstrom and Caleres begin store reopenings

With coronavirus-related restrictions slowly being lifted in a number of states, companies including Macy’s, Nordstrom and Caleres have joined the list of U.S. retailers slowly reopening their stores, albeit with a range of new health and safety measures.

On Wednesday, the St. Louis-based footwear retailer announced that it has begun the phased reopenings of its Famous Footwear, Allen Edmonds, Naturalizer and Sam Edelman stores, emphasizing that this gradual process will be carried out in line with state and local guidelines.

The company expects to have 435 locations open by the end of May and anticipates that the majority of its stores will have returned to operations by the end of June. Having already introduced contactless curbside pick-up at approximately 170 locations across the country over the last few weeks, Caleres intends to expand this service to a total of 300 stores by next week.

Caleres is implementing a range of new safety measures as it reopens its stores in order to ensure contactless transactions and the maintenance of appropriate social distancing measures.

The department store chain is planning to open all of its locations within the next six to eight weeks, starting with stores in Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Store employees will be required to wear masks at all times and will also have to complete wellness checks. Hand sanitizer will be made available throughout stores, while enhanced air ventilation and cleaning procedures will be implemented in strategic areas, along with plexiglass shields at checkout counters.

In-store beauty services requiring close contact are suspended.

Nordstrom recently announced the permanent closure of 16 of its stores but will be reopening around 380 locations in the coming weeks.

The company will conduct health screenings for employees and provide face coverings for both associates and customers. Measures will be taken to ensure that social distancing is observed in stores, where increased cleaning and sanitization procedures are also being introduced.

On Monday, the cosmetics retailer reopened 180 stores, mainly in Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma, but also in several other states.

In-store hair services are available by appointment only and are subject to increased safety measures, but testers have been removed. Hand sanitizer and increased cleanings have been introduced, and associates are required to take part in daily wellness checks and wear face coverings.

Customers are also being asked to wear masks and observe social distancing.

Along with the 180 locations reopened by Ulta, the retailer has introduced curbside pickup at 700 stores across the country.

The latest spate of reopenings follow those already announced by retailers including Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap, Kohl’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Tailored Brands.

Macy’s, Nordstrom and Caleres begin store reopenings

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