How Macy’s Herald Square Prepared for the Holiday Season

It’s the Tuesday before Thanksgiving Day and the Macy’s Herald Square flagship in Manhattan is primed for the 2025 holiday season and already teeming with shoppers on the hunt for gifts.

From selfie moments and customizing cashmere, to shooting hoops at the NBA/Marvel shop, and selling MAC lipsticks and denim adorned with the glitter of Swarovski stones, Macy’s Herald Square has a host of new brands and products and has been rigged with more experiences and services than in years past. Among the holiday shops and food experiences coming to the store for the first time are the Build-a-Bear Workshop, a Pac-Man arcade with video games and plush items, an Eataly market, Bissinger’s Chocolatier and Balsam Hill for Christmas trees, garlands and wreaths.

Finishing touches on the Labubu and Pop Mart pop-up shops were being applied, but the Thanksgiving Day Parade-themed pop-up is up and running.

For the holiday season and beyond, the beauty floor has been enlarged with 20 brands that haven’t been carried before, and the third and fourth floors for contemporary and designer collections have been remade for an easier flow, adjacencies better in tune for how people shop, and to accommodate several new shops.

Fresh product, merchandise tie-ins to sports and entertainment, conveniences and ease of shopping seems to be taking precedence over doorbusters and industrial-strength price promotions. Shoppers, facing financial challenges and macroeconomic uncertainties, are more selective and strategic than ever, researching products online and avoiding an impulsive, last-minute shopping dash for gifts. They want products that are relevant to their lifestyles. They want to be entertained in the stores and they want greater service.

“About 40 percent of our assortment is new this year,” said Nata Dvir, Macy’s chief merchandising officer, referring to the holiday presentation at the Herald Square flagship and through the department store chain. “We have been adding new brands and working to bring in more experiences. We believe in storytelling, not just shopping.”

She’s touring the Herald Square flagship with a guest, pointing out what’s new for holiday this year, or enhanced from last year’s presentation. What retailers of all stripes say is necessary for holiday sales gains — and for that matter, all seasons — is newness coupled with value.

“We’ve updated sweaters with loftier weights, Fair Isles and novelty,” Dvir said. “We’ve been making sure our outerwear had more variety. We have more food offers. And we’ve been bringing in new beauty brands.”

Macy’s translates its cavalcade of Thanksgiving Day Parade floats and giant balloons (which are typically anywhere from 40 to 70 feet in height) into merchandise. So a preliminary stop on the tour is the main-floor Labubu shop for the popular line of toys and collectibles from Hong Kong. It opened Wednesday. Labubu is also expected to be participating for the first time in the parade, which runs along Central Park West and Sixth Avenue, and concludes at Macy’s.

The flagship also has a Marvel’s Spider-Man-inspired collection for adult and kids apparel, accessories and home décor with NBA iconography. The collection’s debut comes as a Spider-Man balloon returns to the parade for the second year in a row.

Dvir also points to the men’s and women’s cashmere shop where on weekends, embroidery for customizing is offered. The shop complements the cashmere presentation on the fourth floor.

“We went after cashmere aggressively in men’s this year, which we have always done in women’s,” Dvir said.

In years past, cashmere was primarily merchandised on tables, but this year, with the new shop, “It’s become more of a moment. Cashmere is important. Sweaters for sure,” she said. “Our cold weather business is always important this time of year. It’s been cold this season, so it’s exciting to see the customer react to some of the newness we have in outerwear.”

It’s also an important time of year for beauty, specifically in fragrances, and jewelry and shoes, Dvir said. “It’s been nice to see that the customer is actually shopping for all wearing occasions. It really hasn’t been a season where it’s just dressy or more casual. They’re actually shopping all different lifestyles. That’s the great part about being a department store. We have all the things our customers are looking for.”

To grow the contemporary and denim businesses in time for the holidays, a string of third-floor shops recently opened, including BCBG, Reiss, Free People, Good American, Levi’s, Rag & Bone and its Miramar brand, the collection that mimics the look of denim with the softness of a sweat pant. The fourth floor houses new shops for Donna Karan, Lagerfeld, the I.N.C. private brand and others.

There’s a pop up on the mezzanine selling parade-themed totes among other items, and Minnie and Mickey Mouse, who are again part of the parade in the form of immense balloons, have an enlarged shop with a wider selection.

Macy’s Holiday Square format has relocated to the lower level, from the mezzanine last year. The format contains more shops this time around, approximately 40, including established and up-and-coming brands selling make-your-own bracelets, vegan doughnuts, jigsaw puzzles, tea, ornaments, candles and decorative accessories, among an eclectic array holiday/gift-oriented items.

Traditional trappings remain alongside the new offerings. Macy’s still has its Santa Land, Christmas windows and Holiday Lane for tree trims and ornaments. Of course, the Thanksgiving Day Parade returns. It’s the 99th edition this year.

Macy’s and its Herald Square flagship have been among the retail industry’s most popular destinations for finding gifts. And this season, with Macy Inc.’s Bold New Chapter strategy to weed out weak locations and invest in its top doors, the company is clearly working to fortify its reputation.

Asked if the promotional landscape will be more or less competitive this season, Dvir replied: “We know the customer is choiceful, but when they are looking for something that has great quality, value is important to them. But it doesn’t have to be the deepest promotion. It’s really about the quality of the product as well. So I think we’ve been making sure we’re competitive, making sure we have the right prices and that we have enough newness. That’s really what’s engaging the customer.”

Dvir also said service has been pumped up at 125 Macy’s doors. “It wasn’t just about adding more people. We looked at how we were focusing on their training, how we were really measuring their success, in terms of how they were servicing the customer. We brought the customer voice more into the conversation, so that they’re really engaged,” said Dvir, a 20-year veteran of Macy’s. “It’s been kind of fun to see how the customer reacts. And the best thing we can do is focus on what we can control.”