Macy’s cuts annual profit view as weak demand overshadows holiday sales

(Reuters) -Macy’s on Wednesday cut its annual profit forecast, sending shares down 10% as weak demand at its nameplate stores clouds its expectations for the crucial holiday shopping season.

The department store chain had last month delayed its quarterly results after it found a single employee made wrong entries to hide about $151 million of delivery expenses between the fourth quarter of 2021 through third quarter of 2024.

The company, whose shares have lost nearly 17% of their value this year, is looking to turn around under top boss Tony Spring by closing underperforming stores and relying on its luxury outlets Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury.

Macy’s (NYSE:M) has been the target of two activist investor actions this year, the latest from Barington Capital and Thor Equities, as department stores struggle to catch up with more consumers shifting online.

The investor group has asked Macy’s to explore options for Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury, and create a separate unit for its real estate business.

Its real estate assets, including flagship Herald Square outlet, are worth about $5 billion to $9 billion, according to Barington and Thor Equities. In comparison, its market capitalization was $4.6 billion.

In July, Macy’s ended talks with Arkhouse Management and Brigade Capital over a $6.9 billion takeover bid on grounds that it did not offer “compelling value”.

It expects annual adjusted profit per share of $2.25 to $2.50 compared with prior expectation of $2.34 to $2.69, which was adjusted to account for a full-year estimated delivery expense impact of $79 million.

CEO Spring said on Wednesday comparable sales so far in the holiday period were ahead of third-quarter levels.

Macy’s raised its annual net sales target to $22.3 billion to $22.5 billion from $22.1 billion to $22.4 billion expected earlier.