Field's name not dead yet

This was announced back in September I could have only hoped that there was going to be some kind of reprieve on this issue and now there appears to be one. Sales during the holidays at Marshall Field's has prompted a review. That's not to say that Federated Department Stores may not go ahead with their plans, however, it does mean that the name may still be alive. They could just use the Field's name for only the flagship store on state street. This is what a Crain's story had to say on this issue...

Possibilities range from Field’s-branded goods to an in-store Field’s shop or keeping the Field’s name attached to the State Street flagship, retail experts say.

Any continuing use of the Field’s name seems most likely at State Street. Sales there rose more than 3% during the holidays, outpacing the more than 2% gain at Field’s 61-store chain as a whole, people familiar with the figures say, as sentimental shoppers flocked to take in the State Street store’s last holiday as Marshall Field’s.

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Retail experts say it makes the most sense to keep Field’s name present at the State Street store, where tourism is a big part of business. Federated, which is based in Cincinnati and New York, could sell Field’s merchandise or establish a Field’s boutique within the store on par with the scads of other leased shops that previous owner Target Corp. put in place when it refurbished the flagship in 2003.

Federated’s two other flagship stores—Macy’s Herald Square in New York and Macy’s Union Square in San Francisco—operate virtually as separate businesses with their own marketing, special events, visual merchandising and vendor arrangements. Carving out a Field’s enclave at the State Street store (the third-largest department store in the nation after Macy’s Herald Square) wouldn’t be difficult, nor would it conflict with Federated’s efforts to create a national chain under the Macy’s banner, says Ken Nisch, chairman of JGA Inc., a Michigan-based retail branding and design firm that worked on Field’s State Street makeover under Target.

“They already have a template to do it,” says Mr. Nisch. “It’s a way to use a valuable asset.”

I sincerely hope that they can work this out. Let keep at least one locally known name out there. And continue the traditions of those green shopping bags, Frango candy, etc. If Macy does change the name I hope that they keep some of Field's trademark traditions and symbols.

Field's name not dead yet from Crain's Chicago Business