Marshall Field's Name Change Still Pending
By Scott Smith in News on Jul 29, 2005 9:32PM
No sooner did Chicagoist pick Federated Stores Inc. vs. Marshall Field’s as the Story To Watch in our Month in Review post than we saw this press release from the company and this article in the Tribune stating Federated will be doing further research on whether to retain the Marshall Field’s name on the stores it will acquire in their planned merger with May Department Stores.
Federated says they will not make a decision on retaining the Field’s name until late in the year. This is a brilliant media management move. Right now this is a hot story in the news cycle. If Federated waits a few months, they’ll likely minimize the press coverage and public interest thereby making it easier to force a change. We’re also curious about what kinds of questions their “third-party customer research” teams are asking to determine the value of the name to Chicagoland customers.
In our One To Watch post, we said Federated would likely try to justify a Field’s name change by saying something like “We’re trying to do what’s best for the people of Chicago who demand a world class store.” In justifying the conversion of 330 regional stores in other states like L.S. Ayres and Robinsons-May to Macy’s brand stores, Federated’s press release states: “Our customers tell us through research and from their behavior that what's inside a store…is what matters most.” While Chicagoist appreciates a quality product, to say that Marshall Field’s is only a name on a building betrays a fundamental lack of knowledge about the Chicago market.
Marshall Field’s isn’t just a name, it’s part of Chicago’s history. While name changes in other markets might make sense (some Field’s stores around the country only acquired the name four years ago), Chicagoist thinks it would be a smart business and PR decision for Federated to retain the Marshall Field’s name in Chicago. If you agree, visit keepitfields.org to sign their petition and click here for information on how to contact Federated’s CEO.