Monday, August 14, 2006

The signs on the front of the stores still say Hecht's, but almost everything else is starting to say Macy's.

The last vestiges of the department store chain that helped define shopping in the Washington area are disappearing. Hecht's parent company, May Department Stores Co., was bought last year by Federated Department Stores Inc. for $11 billion. The new owner is converting Hecht's and the hodgepodge of other regional chains it acquired into two brands: Macy's and Bloomingdale's.

The transition is scheduled to be completed by Sept. 9. In the meantime, shoppers can count the changes along the way.

In the men's department at the Hecht's in Tysons Corner Center, employees were recently spotted placing purchases in plastic bags from Strawbridge's, another department store chain that Federated purchased.

On Friday, salespeople throughout the company's eastern division began adhering to the Macy's dress code of all black. Larry Kinton, manager of the Hecht's in downtown Washington, said he bought three black suits.

Macy's merchandise fills the stores, with its private-label brands such as American Rag, Alfani, INC and Charter Club displayed prominently. At the Hecht's at Fair Oaks Mall, tags on clothes recently read "Macy's East." Most of Hecht's private-label merchandise is on clearance.

Macy's signature red signs greet customers as they enter Hecht's stores. All nameplates are slated to be changed by Sept. 9, but the schedule for the work varies by store, said Elina Kazan, a Macy's spokeswoman.

The Hecht's name used to be stripped across the top of its newspaper advertisements. No more. Now, it is relegated to the bottom and shares space with the Macy's logo.

"Hecht's together with Macy's," the fine print reads. "We're bringing you a great new place to shop. The finishing touches are almost complete."

Federated is divesting the Hecht's store at the Westfield Wheaton mall. Macy's stores at Marley Station and Fair Oaks malls are also being divested, and the Hecht's stores at those shopping centers will be converted to Macy's. The free-standing store in Friendship Heights will be converted to a Bloomingdale's. All other Hecht's stores in the Washington area will become Macy's.

Federated has agreed to sell the Lord & Taylor chain to Purchase, N.Y.-based NRDC Equity Partners LLC for $1.2 billion. The group, a partnership between principals of Apollo Real Estate Advisors LP and principals of National Realty & Development Corp., has said it plans to continue operating the chain under its current name.

-- Ylan Q. Mui