The Story concept store at 36 Macy’s locations will focus on the great outdoors for its second experiential theme, working in collaboration with Dick’s Sporting Goods and Miracle-Gro as it continues its “test and learn” approach to retail.
The second experiential iteration from Story is positioned to inspire shoppers with an outdoor-inspired playground that happens to be indoors, through a mix of curated merchandise from more than 70 brands. The theme also includes community-focused event programming that ranges from indoor gardening workshops to outdoor activities, like kayaking on New York City’s Hudson River.
“I think people may be surprised and intrigued by our partnerships, and that is exactly what we wanted. We wanted to show both consumers, as well as businesses, that collaboration is the new competition; bringing together brands as storytellers to add authority and authenticity to a subject matter, like we are doing with Dick’s and Miracle-Gro, benefits both the customer and the business,” said Rachel Schechtman, Macy’s brand experience officer and founder of Story. “The timing felt right to lean on each brand’s respective strengths to empower new modes of collaboration and learning.”
Macy’s acquired Story in May 2018. The shops at the 36 Macy’s locations average about 1,500 square-feet in size. A core component in the Story model is the way in which it provides customers with a discovery-led, narrative experience in each new installation, regardless of its overriding theme. The current outdoor theme runs Tuesday until September. The first inaugural Story theme at Macy’s, which opened in April, was on “Colors.”
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Partnering with Dick’s, the nation’s largest sporting goods retailer, represented a first for Macy’s, and for Dick’s to sell its assortment in another major retailer was the first for the sporting goods firm, too.
Jeff Gennette, chairman and chief executive officer of Macy’s Inc., said when Schechtman first spoke about the outdoor idea, he paused because “I wouldn’t have thought about partnering with another retailer to sell outdoor products at Macy’s.” As discussions continued, however, Gennette said he realized the concept “made a lot of sense,” and then reached out to Dick’s chairman and CEO Ed Stack about sharing their exclusive private brand assortment. Gennette said Stack “also saw the creative vision and we had the deal done and partnership launched in less than two months.”
The Macy’s-Dick’s collaboration includes a curated mix of apparel and hard goods from the sporting goods retailer’s private brands, Alpine Design and Field & Stream.
“We see this retail collaboration between Macy’s, Miracle-Gro and Dick’s as a way to showcase how three very different American-made companies can come together to create a unique shopping experience for all customers,” Stack said.