Minneapolis Hit Hard By Macy Layoffs

More than one-third of the announced Macy's lay-offs come from the closure of its North Division headquarters in Minneapolis. That's a big hit for any size city. It's not just the numbers, but the people behind the numbers. How many in total will be affected? We feel for them.

As Macy's was being hailed at the Minneapolis Hilton Wednesday by downtown boosters for its many contributions to the city, blocks away the company was telling a stunned staff that it would close its Minneapolis division headquarters, laying off 950 employees.

The Cincinnati-based retailer, hurt by slowing sales in recent months, Wednesday announced a $150 million consolidation that would eliminate 2,300 jobs nationwide, including folding the Minneapolis-based Macy's North headquarters on Nicollet Mall into New York-based Macy's East. Although no stores are expected to close, the cuts are some of the biggest to hit the region in recent years, comparable to closing of the Ford plant in St. Paul.

The jobs are disappearing at a time the state has had the worst six-month stretch of job loss since the recession of 2001.

And the longer-term effect of losing the department store division, which has roots in downtown Minneapolis stretching back more than 100 years, remains to be seen. Macy's and its predecessor companies were some of the city's biggest boosters and civic supporters.