Macy's, Bloomies Coming to Downtown Miami

MIAMI—Macy's and Bloomingdale's are set to anchor the new Mall at Miami Worldcenter that is planned for Downtown Miami. The stores are scheduled to open in fall 2016.

The Forbes Company and Taubman Centers are developing Miami Worldcenter, mixed-use project with retail, hotel, residential, and convention space. The Macy's and Bloomingdale's stores—each on three levels—will anchor the north and south ends of the retail mall, respectively.

Many in Downtown Miami still remember when Macy's chairwoman Julie Greiner stood up at a chamber meeting in 2007 and threw the urban core under the bus, noting it was unsafe for shoppers and unfit for big box retail. It was a big moment, and a negative turning point for Downtown Miami.

Alyce Robertson, executive director of Miami Downtown Development Authority, has helped make the area a fertile ground for new retail development. She tells GlobeSt.com this mall brings activity back to a dormant area of Downtown Miami and addresses the needs of new residents that have moved into the area in over the last five years.

“The population of Downtown Miami has almost doubled in the last five years," Robertson says. "The condos that were built in the 2003 to 2008 period of time have all been filled, for all practical purposes. We've grown up as an urban area in the last five years. This mall offers new opportunities to residents of downtown and the surrounding areas that they haven't had in a long time.”

Macy's will occupy a 195,000-square-foot store in the Mall at Miami Worldcenter with a full range of apparel and accessories for women, men, and children, as well as housewares, home textiles, luggage, furniture, and mattresses. Macy's currently operates 27 stores in the Miami-Palm Beach market.

“Miami is a vibrant marketplace, and Macy's is well-known to customers who are year-round and seasonal residents, as well as to visitors who come from around the world to enjoy south Florida's weather, cultural, sports, entertainment and culinary attractions,” says Peter Sachse, Macy's chief stores officer. “Miami Worldcenter promises to be a world-class attraction, and we look forward to enhancing our ability to serve customers with a tailored merchandise assortment and shopping experience that meets the needs of south Florida shoppers.”

Bloomingdale's in the Mall at Miami Worldcenter will span 120,000 square feet, and include a specially edited assortment of fashion apparel, accessories, shoes, cosmetics and fragrances, and home goods. Bloomingdale's currently operates four full-line stores and two Bloomingdale's Outlet stores in the Miami-Palm Beach market.

“Bloomingdale's knows the exceptional and distinctive fashion that makes south Florida an international hot spot,” says Michael Gould, Bloomingdale's chairman and CEO. “Customers look to Bloomingdale's for styles and looks that set the trends in an environment of attentive, personalized service. That is what they will find in our new store in Miami. It will be the best that Bloomingdale's has to offer for this savvy fashion customer.”