Macy’s: Parkchester store staying put

A spokesperson for Macy’s says the opening a the Bay Plaza location will have no impact on the status of its original Bronx store, located in Parkchester.

“There will be no change at all for the Parkchester store,” said Jim Sluzewski, a senior vice president of communications for the company.

Macy’s, and landlord Mall Properties, agreed on a 15-year lease for the location in 2002, with options for that could extend it for another 45 years, according to a December 2002 article in the New York Times. The Parkchester Macy’s opened in 1941. It was the department store’s second location, after its original store on 34th street in Midtown. It is about 175,000 square feet and underwent a renovation in the early 2000s.

Sluzewski said the new location would be an augmentation of Macy’s current footprint in the Bronx, as opposed to a replacement.

“New York is a densely populated place. We always look for opportunities in places like New York,” Sluzewski said. “We’ve had the store in Parkchester that was one of the first branch department stores. (Bay Plaza) was an opportunity to expand in the Bronx.”

Bill Weisbrod can be reached via e-mail at bweisbrod@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 742-3394.