By LUCAS WANG
Staff Writer
Macy’s announced plans to close its Irvine Spectrum location and 40 other branches late last year. The branch in the Spectrum is scheduled to close this spring.
The 40 Macy’s branches have brought in a collective total of $375 million in sales and employ 4,400 employees.
According to the OC Register, the rise in online shopping has led Macy’s executives to begin shifting their focus towards virtual domains to maintain profit margins in retail. In the coming year, Macy’s is expected to begin changing its business model to better adapt to the current market.
Despite its apparent advantage to the company as a whole, the choice to close the Spectrum branch has dismayed many customers on the local level. “It’s truly sad to see such a central part of Irvine heritage disappear. I’m already beginning to miss Macy’s,” said Nima Mozhgani (Sr.).
The Irvine Macy’s branch declined to comment.