ATLANTA - Some 1,500 workers will lose their jobs when Federated Department Stores closes its Macy's stores in metro Atlanta, but it's not clear yet which ones. <br>
<br>
Individual employees will be notified about their job status later in the week. <br>
<br>
Federated Department Stores, the company that owns Macy's, also owns Rich's. Federated says it plans to consolidate the two stores -- which compete against each other at many shopping malls -- under one brand name at the already-existing Rich's stores. <br>
<br>
Rich's handed out a letter to employees today that says displaced Macy's employees in Atlanta will be given top priority for any open positions at Rich's, but assured current Rich's employees that they will not be bumped. <br>
<br>
The company said Thursday it will close the Macy's on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta, as well as its stores at Gwinnett Place, Cumberland and Southlake malls. <br>
<br>
Macy's at Lenox Square and Perimeter Mall will be redesigned and reopened later this year as Bloomingdale's. <br>
<br>
Federated said it plans to close the stores in early April. <br>
<br>
The company plans to consolidate its Rich's and Macy's stores under one brand name. Both stores compete with each other at many metro Atlanta malls. <br>
<br>
In addition, the Macy's store in Town Center at Cobb will be closed, but one floor will be converted to a Rich's-Macy's furniture gallery that will reopen in the fall. The remainder of the Town Center Macy's store -- along with the four closed Macy's locations -- will be sold or leased for other retail use. <br>
<br>
Federated says 500 new employees will be hired for Bloomingdale's and 25 more workers will be hired for a new furniture store at Town Center. <br>
<br>
A total of 28 stores will begin branding themselves as Rich's-Macy's, beginning February second. These include the Macy's store at Northlake, as well as Rich's stores in Atlanta; Athens, Augusta, Columbus, Macon and Savannah; Birmingham, Alabama, and Columbia and Greenville, South Carolina.
