With 840 huge anchor stores in malls across the United States, Guam, and Puerto Rico, Macy’s, Inc. (NYSE:M) is one of the largest retailers in the country. The company has had huge success with a target demographic of middle-class women. The chain captures sales by selling exclusive fashion lines and high-demand brand-name items. This year, Macy’s will welcome a surprising name to its newer store-within-a-store concept.
Locker Room by Lids, a new joint venture between Macy’s, Inc. (NYSE:M) and Genesco Inc. (NYSE:GCO), will roll-out to Macy’s stores this fall. The new venture will open in 25 stores and online via the Macy’s website. The stores will feature college and professional sports-licensed items in categories like hats, apparel, glassware, throws and custom embroidery.
After the initial 25 Locker Room by Lids stores, Genesco Inc. (NYSE:GCO) and Macy’s, Inc. (NYSE:M) will open 175 more in the spring of 2014. Stores will have an average square footage of 500 to 1000. Lids will also put interactive kiosks in stores for customers who wish to place online orders and have items shipped to their homes or other locations.
This has the potential to be a home run for Genesco Inc. (NYSE:GCO) and its Lids business segment. By getting its stores in Macy’s, Inc. (NYSE:M), the company will be able to target women shoppers who likely don’t spend a lot of time in their small hat stores in mall and airport locations. By targeting cities with built-in fan bases, Genesco and Macy’s will be able to capitalize on the strength of the partnership from the initial launch. Macy’s provides a nice way for Lids to expand itself without cannibalizing sales by attacking a new demographic.
Back in September, I highlighted the potential of Genesco Inc. (NYSE:GCO). The retail company saw same-store sales growth across all business segments. Since that time, sales have declined in many business segments, including the Lids division. In fiscal 2013, Lids had sales of $791.3 million, which was 4% higher than the previous year. The Lids segment made up 30% of Genesco’s total fiscal-year sales.
Same-store sales at Lids and Hat World locations declined 3% in fiscal 2013. This was the only business segment of Genesco Inc. (NYSE:GCO) that saw comparable sales decline for the year. In the most recent first quarter, same-store sales at Lids locations declined 6%. Total sales for the first quarter declined 1.5% to $591 million.
Following in this company’s footsteps
Genesco Inc. (NYSE:GCO) hopes it can have the same success Finish Line Inc (NASDAQ:FINL) has had with its store-within-stores in Macy’s, Inc. (NYSE:M) department stores. Macy’s announced on its recent earnings call that Finish Line stores were outperforming expectations. After the initial launch, Macy’s is now rolling out 450 shops by next year, which would put a Finish Line in over half of the Macy’s around the country. Macy’s had expected a 20-to-30 basis-point lift from Finish Line, but saw a 100 basis-point lift in the second quarter.
