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July 27, 2005
KeepItFields.org
Well, not a surprise, but a website has been launched to help save the Marshall Field's name. Will the folks at Federated ever care? Probably not. They'll just use pointless, rigged "surveys" to prove that a name change doesn't really matter to Chicago residents. I will say one thing, however... I really like the Flash-based intro to this website! The Chicago Sun-Times has the full story:
Battle to preserve Field's name makes its way to the InternetSource: Chicago Sun-Times
July 27, 2005
BY SANDRA GUY Business ReporterA Web site claiming that Federated Department Stores' threat to "erase" the Marshall Field's name "is nothing short of criminal" launched Tuesday to organize Field's loyalists to keep their beloved store from becoming a Macy's.
The site, www.KeepItFields.org, seeks shoppers' stories on what Field's means to them, and includes links to news articles on the anticipated name change and an online petition to show "tangible support for keeping Field's as Field's."
Nick Potts of Minneapolis, a 25-year-old architect intern, said Tuesday he created the site with the intention of forming an online community.
Potts said he is concerned about the loss of regional identity in the face of globalization, and he respects Field's as a strong part of the community.
Federated bought Field's and other stores owned by St. Louis-based May Department Stores for $11 billion. The deal is expected to close this fall, and Federated CEO Terry Lundgren has touted his efforts to substitute Macy's for regional department store names.
Federated has already ditched Lazarus, Rich's, Burdine's, Goldsmith's and other longtime store names in favor of the Macy's nameplate.
Lundgren told reporters after a July 13 shareholders' meeting that Federated has hired an outside company to poll Field's customers about a name change.
"So far in our markets, our customers said it doesn't make that big a difference," Lundgren said.
The KeepItFields Web site dares shoppers in the Upper Midwest to "show Federated that we are not to be underestimated."
Potts wrote on the Web site that he created it "half out of desperation, and half out of optimism."
He wrote that his desperation stemmed in part from the fear "that the homogenization and dumbing-down of America is most likely going to take away one of the great icons of American history."
He called the Macy's brand "one that stands for nothing but an overhyped parade in a faraway city and economies of scale."
Potts wrote that he is optimistic that Lundgren will realize "that we in the Upper Midwest are more than a blank spot in a map waiting to be filled in and told what to do, think and buy."
A Field's spokeswoman said Tuesday that Potts has no affiliation with the retailer.
"We are fortunate to have such a strong emotional connection with our guests and the communities we serve," said Jennifer McNamara, Field's spokeswoman at Field's headquarters in Minneapolis.
A separate Web log started by a Web site editor urges Field's supporters to write to Lundgren or to call Federated's switchboard or manager of community relations to let their feelings be known.
Scott Smith, the blog's creator, is associate editor of arts and entertainment at the Web site, called Chicagoist. Smith, 30, said he found it interesting that young people who frequent the Chicagoist Web site were passionate about keeping the Field's name.
"We're not just talking about changing the name of a minimart. This will be taking away a part of Chicago's history."
Posted by Tannerman at July 27, 2005 09:38 AM | Categories: Anchors | News