Macy's, Inc. - Annual Report: 2022 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

For the fiscal year ended January 29, 2022

OR

For the transition period from           to

Commission file number: 1-13536

Macy's, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  Yes ☒  No ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.  Yes ☐  No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes ☒  No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).  Yes ☒  No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company,” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).  Yes ☐  No ☒

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter (July 30, 2021) was approximately $5,312,997,998.

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Unless the context requires otherwise, references to “Macy’s” or the “Company” are references to Macy’s and its subsidiaries and references to “2021,” “2020,” and “2019” are references to the Company’s fiscal years ended January 29, 2022, January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020, respectively. Fiscal years 2021, 2020, and 2019 included 52 weeks.

Forward-Looking Statements

This report and other reports, statements and information previously or subsequently filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) contain or may contain forward-looking statements. Such statements are based upon the beliefs and assumptions of, and on information available to, the management of the Company at the time such statements are made. The following are or may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: (i) statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,” “future,” “potential,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “think,” “estimate” or “continue” or the negative or other variations thereof, and (ii) statements regarding matters that are not historical facts. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including risks and uncertainties relating to:

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In addition to any risks and uncertainties specifically identified in the text surrounding such forward-looking statements, the statements in the immediately preceding sentence and the statements under captions such as “Risk Factors” in reports, statements and information filed by the Company with the SEC from time to time constitute cautionary statements identifying important factors that could cause actual amounts, results, events and circumstances to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements.

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General

The Company is a corporation organized under the laws of the State of Delaware in 1985. The Company and its predecessors have been operating department stores since 1830. As of January 29, 2022, the Company operated 725 store locations in 43 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. The Company's operations are conducted through Macy's, Macy’s Backstage, Market by Macy’s, Bloomingdale's, Bloomingdale’s The Outlet, Bloomies, and bluemercury. In addition, Bloomingdale's in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Al Zahra, Kuwait are operated under license agreements with Al Tayer Insignia, a company of Al Tayer Group, LLC.

The Company sells a wide range of merchandise, including apparel and accessories (men’s, women’s and kids'), cosmetics, home furnishings and other consumer goods. The specific assortments vary by size of store, merchandising assortments and character of customers in the trade areas. Most stores are located at urban or suburban sites, principally in densely populated areas across the United States.

Disaggregation of the Company's net sales by family of business for 2021, 2020 and 2019 were as follows:

In 2021, the Company’s subsidiaries provided various support functions to the Company’s retail operations on an integrated, company-wide basis.

The Company’s principal executive office is located at 151 West 34th Street, New York, New York 10001, telephone number: (212) 494-1621.

Seasonality

The retail business is seasonal in nature with a high proportion of sales and operating income generated in the months of November and December. Working capital requirements fluctuate during the year, increasing in mid-summer in anticipation of the fall merchandising season and increasing substantially prior to the months of November and December when the Company carries significantly higher inventory levels.

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Purchasing

The Company purchases merchandise from many suppliers, none of which accounted for more than 5% of the Company’s purchases during 2021. The Company has no material long-term purchase commitments with any of its suppliers and believes that it is not dependent on any one supplier. The Company considers its relations with its suppliers to be good.

Private Label Brands and Related Trademarks

The principal private label brands currently offered by the Company include Alfani, And Now This, Aqua, Bar III, Belgique, Charter Club, Club Room, Epic Threads, Family PJ’s, first impressions, Giani Bernini, Holiday Lane, Home Design, Hotel Collection, Hudson Park, Ideology, I-N-C, jenni, JM Collection, Karen Scott, lune+aster, M-61, Maison Jules, Martha Stewart Collection, Oake, Sky, Style & Co., Sun + Stone, Sutton Studio, Tasso Elba, The Cellar, Tools of the Trade and Wild Pair.

The trademarks associated with the Company's private label brands, other than Martha Stewart Collection, are owned by the Company. The Martha Stewart Collection is owned by a third party, which licenses the trademark associated with the brand to Company pursuant to an agreement. The agreement for the Martha Stewart Collection extends through 2022.

Competition

The retail industry is highly competitive. The Company’s operations compete with many retail formats on the national and local level, including department stores, specialty stores, general merchandise stores, manufacturers' outlets, off-price and discount stores, online retailers and catalogs, among others. The Company seeks to attract customers by offering compelling, high-quality products, great prices and trusted service across all channels, including its digital platforms. Other retailers may compete for customers on some or all of these bases, or on other bases, and may be perceived by some potential customers as being better aligned with their particular preferences.

Available Information

The Company makes its annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") available free of charge through its internet website at https://www.macysinc.com as soon as reasonably practicable after it electronically files such material with, or furnishes it to, the SEC. The SEC also maintains an internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. In addition, the Company has made the following available free of charge through its website at https://www.macysinc.com:

Any of these items are also available in print to any shareholder who requests them. Requests should be sent to the Corporate Secretary of Macy’s, Inc. at 151 West 34th Street, New York, New York 10001.

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Human Capital Resources

Culture & Engagement  

At Macy’s, culture is how the Company serves and supports its customers, communities and employees (called colleagues).  The Company’s workplace is rooted in equity and guided by its values of acceptance, respect, integrity and giving back.

The Company gathers colleague feedback at key times throughout the colleague lifecycle from onboarding to offboarding and provides regular venues for colleagues to ask questions and share their opinions, such as Ask Me Anything sessions, town halls and colleague resource groups.  The Company formally solicits feedback from all colleagues twice a year through an enterprise-wide Culture Pulse Survey.  The results are shared across the organization to provide visibility to both managers (called people leaders) and colleagues and help create an opportunity for open and constructive discussions among teams.  

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I)  

Macy’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is guided by its values and starts from within by working to build a workforce that represents the communities it serves at all levels and making structural changes to implement practices and processes designed to be equitable and cultivate a culture of belonging.  The Company seeks to empower colleagues to harness and unleash the power of their individuality to help drive better business decisions for customers and shareholders.

The Company actively promotes an inclusive and welcoming environment for all customers and is also focused on supporting and developing underrepresented suppliers; investing in economic and workforce development; contributing to organizations fighting for social justice; and awarding scholarships to cultivate future leaders.

One of the Company’s measures to advance the diversity of its leadership is the MOSAIC program, a one-year professional development program with continued support available as participants progress through their careers, launched in 2019 for its top talent at the manager and director levels who self-identify as ethnically diverse.  From 2020 to 2021, approximately 74% of program participants were promoted or moved into a new role, with approximately 18% promoted to senior director level.  The Company achieved 27.5% ethnic diversity representation at the director level and above, with a goal to reach 28.3% in 2022 and 30% by 2025.

Macy’s believes people leaders play an important role in driving performance and an inclusive culture.  In 2020, the Company incorporated People Leader Commitments (which were launched in 2019) and DE&I into the performance review process.  In 2021, the Company included standardized DE&I goals into annual reviews at the director level and above.  Starting in 2022, the Company has included the ethnic representation goal at the director level and above as part of annual incentive goals for the Company.

Company-sponsored, employee-led resource groups (ERGs) provide an opportunity for colleagues to experience connection, achieve belonging and build community.  In 2021, ERGs expanded beyond our corporate offices to all supply chain locations and 124 stores and continue to be a resource for attracting and retaining talent.  We also launched the Interfaith ERG across Macy’s and Bloomingdales, based on colleague feedback that there is a need to incorporate dialogue and education about religion and non-religious beliefs in the workplace.

Macy’s DE&I focus areas extend beyond its colleagues and include community, customers, marketing and suppliers.  We have achieved a score of 100 every year since 2015 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equity Index, earning the designation as “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equity.”  This index is the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality.  In November 2021, Macy’s was recognized by the NBIC, a coalition of the nation’s leading business organizations representing diverse communities, as one of the Top 50 Best-of-the-Best Corporations for Inclusion.  For example, here are a few highlights from the past year:

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Learning & Development

Macy’s believes that learning goes hand in hand with career growth, personal satisfaction and outstanding results.  The Company aspires to create a learning culture where colleagues actively learn, apply what they have learned to address business challenges and share their knowledge, including their mistakes, to help others grow.  Learning is accessible through Ignite (powered by Degreed), the Company’s self-directed learning experience platform as well as through technology, social learning and meaningful experiences and exposures with colleagues.  We have also partnered with Guild, a leading education and upskilling platform, to provide “Fully Funded Education for Everyone,” including over 50 programs that lead to college degrees.  

The Company makes investments in its people leaders and future leaders.  Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s Executive Development Programs offer immersive, hands-on learning experiences for recent college graduates from top universities across the U.S. to jump start a career in retail, with specialization in technology, digital, stores, merchandising, and supply chain.  Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s offer internships for college students and Bloomingdale’s offers an early immersion program focused on providing experiential learning and career exposure to those who identify with underrepresented groups.  Bluemercury’s Shooting Stars is a six-month mentorship program that empowers mentees to own their journey by creating a development plan, becoming an inclusive leader and leveraging resources to support their career aspirations.  In 2019, Macy’s partnered with Parsons School of Design to launch Macy’s Fashion Academy – a custom executive education program designed to offer best-in-class development across all disciplines of its merchant talent.  As a result of this partnership, we have been able to offer our Merchants custom experiences aligned with key pillars of our Polaris Strategy.

People leaders participate annually in required leadership development training and have access to robust on-demand development resources.  Professional colleagues participate in a 90-day onboarding experience with performance milestones, support resources and role-specific training

Data Analytics

During 2021, Macy’s continued to make progress in embedding data and analytics in Human Capital strategies and program measurements.  Taking advantage of cloud-based HR technology has enabled real-time access to information and driven more colleague and people leader self-service.

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Total Rewards

Macy’s offers comprehensive benefits and an awards strategy that is designed to recognize performance and talent development.  Eligible colleagues have varied medical plan options to meet individual needs.  The Company provides paid time-off, parental leave and holiday pay as well as a company 401(k) plan and match, dependent care flexible spending account and a colleague merchandise discount for eligible colleagues.

The Company believes that pay equity is fundamental to its culture and DE&I strategy.  Compensation is based on job position, responsibilities, experience and performance with incentive opportunities that allow colleagues to share in the Company’s success.

In 2021, the Company achieved greater than 99% pay equity across gender and race.  In terms of both base pay and total compensation, the Company expects to pay female colleagues at greater than 99% of what it pays male colleagues, and it expects that minorities will be paid at greater than 99% of what it pays non-minorities in the U.S.

In 2021, we continued our path to clear and competitive compensation programs by making the following investments:

Number of Employees

As of January 29, 2022, excluding seasonal employees, Macy’s had 88,857 full-time and part-time employees.  Because of the seasonal nature of the retail business, the number of employees peaks during the holiday season. Approximately 8% of employees are represented by unions.

Sustainability

Macy’s relationships with its customers, colleagues and the communities it serves drives a deep sense of stewardship in how the Company interacts with its stakeholders and underpins its commitment to promoting sustainability.  The guiding principles of the Company’s sustainability strategy are:

The Company proactively and continually engages with its stakeholders on sustainability issues that span the breadth of its operations. This includes transparency, product responsibility and supply chain and energy management. Macy’s is guided in its actions and reporting by its stakeholders and by third-party frameworks, including Sustainability Accounting Standards Board’s multiline and specialty retailers and distributors standard and the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures.

The Company continues to advance its sustainability strategy as it responds to evolving stakeholder expectations. Certain highlights of recent sustainability accomplishments include earning a B score on its 2021 CDP Climate Change Report and launching a sustainable products retail sitelet and Oake, a sustainable private brand textiles brand.

The Company’s management is responsible for the development and implementation of its sustainability strategies and programs. Ultimate oversight by the Company’s Board of Directors is included in its committee charters and practices. The Chief Financial Officer along with the Disclosure Committee engages with stakeholders on sustainability and climate-related issues and provides feedback to management and the Board. The Chief Supply Chain Officer reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer and is responsible for the teams that manage sustainability initiatives and supply

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chain transparency. The Sustainability Executive Steering Committee, Disclosure Committee and Corporate Strategy Group also approve the sustainability strategy and priorities, guide risk management and link to growth opportunities.

Macy’s is committed to minimizing the environmental impacts across its operations and supply chain and seeks to responsibly manage the resources it consumes and the waste it produces across its stores and logistics network. The Environmental Services team is responsible for the development of the Company’s environmental programs for all facilities across the organization. These programs include policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance with federal, state and local environmental laws.

Information about our Executive Officers

The following table sets forth certain information as of March 24, 2022 regarding the Executive Officers of the Company:

Executive Officer Biographies

Jeff Gennette has been Chief Executive Officer of the Company since March 2017 and Chairman of the Board since January 2018; prior thereto he was President from March 2014 to August 2017, Chief Merchandising Officer from February 2009 to March 2014, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Macy’s West in San Francisco from February 2008 to February 2009 and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Seattle-based Macy’s Northwest from February 2006 through February 2008.

Adrian V. Mitchell has been Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company since November 2020; prior thereto he served as a Managing Director and Partner in the Digital BCG and Consumer Practices of Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm, from July 2017 to October 2020, Chief Executive Officer of Arhaus LLC, a retail chain that designs and sells home furnishings, from January 2016 to March 2017, executive positions at Crate and Barrel Holdings, Inc. from October 2010 to October 2015 including interim CEO, Chief Operating & Chief Financial Officer and Chief Financial Officer, and management positions at Target Corporation from March 2007 to October 2010 including Director of Strategy & Interactive Design for target.com and Director of Innovation & Productivity leading enterprise-wide projects for Target Corporation.

Elisa D. Garcia has been Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of the Company since September 2016; prior thereto she served as Chief Legal Officer of Office Depot, Inc. from December 2013 to September 2016, Executive Vice President and Secretary from July 2007 to September 2016 and General Counsel from July 2007 to December 2013.

Danielle L. Kirgan has been Executive Vice President and Chief Transformation and Human Resources Officer of the Company since February 2020 and Chief Human Resources Officer since October 2017; prior thereto she served as Senior Vice President, People at American Airlines Group, Inc., an airline holding company, from October 2016 to October 2017, Chief Human Resources Officer at Darden Restaurants, Inc. from January 2015 to October 2016 and Senior Vice President from May 2010, Vice President, Global Human Resources at ACI Worldwide, Inc. from January 2009 to December 2009, and Vice President, Human Resources at Conagra Foods, Inc. from 2004 to 2008.

Paul Griscom has been Senior Vice President and Controller of the Company since August 2020; prior thereto he served as Vice President and interim Principal Accounting Officer from June to August 2020, Vice President, Financial Reporting and Accounting Services from May 2019 to August 2020, Vice President, Financial Reporting from June 2017 to April 2019, Director of Financial Reporting from July 2016 to May 2017, Director, Training & Products, GAAP Dynamics from January 2012 to July 2016 and held various positions at KPMG LLP from November 2000 to January 2012.

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In evaluating the Company, the risks described below and the matters described under “Forward-Looking Statements” should be considered carefully. Such risks and matters are numerous and diverse, may be experienced continuously or intermittently, and may vary in intensity and effect. Although the risks are organized by heading, and each risk is described separately, many of the risks are interrelated. Any of such risks and matters, individually or in combination, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, as well as on the attractiveness and value of an investment in the Company’s securities. You should not interpret the disclosure of any risk factor to imply that the risk has not already materialized. While we believe we have identified and discussed below the key risk factors affecting our business, there may be additional risks and uncertainties that are not presently known or that are not currently believed to be significant that may adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows in the future.

COVID-19 Pandemic Risks

The COVID-19 pandemic has had and could continue to have a significant negative impact on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Since the first quarter of fiscal 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the retail industry, including our business. Although the Company has experienced a strong recovery in operating results during fiscal 2021 as compared to fiscal 2020, the Company continues to monitor the impacts of COVID-19 on the macro economy as well as on the Company’s and its vendor partners’ operations. The full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is uncertain at this time, but we expect that it could continue to have adverse impacts on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations, including, but not limited to:

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The duration and extent of the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic depends on future developments that cannot be accurately predicted at this time, such as the severity and transmission rate of the virus, the emergence and spread of variants, infection rates in areas where the Company operates, the extent and effectiveness of containment actions, including the continued availability and effectiveness of vaccines in the markets where the Company operates, and the impact of these and other factors on the Company’s employees, customers, suppliers, distributors, and manufacturers. As such, the Company will continue to assess the highly uncertain financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Further disruption of the global economy and related impacts on the Company’s business may lead to triggering events that may indicate that the carrying value of certain assets, including inventories, long-lived assets, intangibles, and goodwill, may not be recoverable.

The impact of COVID-19 may also exacerbate other risks included in in this section, any of which could be material. The situation is continually changing, and future impacts may materialize that are not yet known.

Strategic, Operational and Competitive Risks

Our strategic plans and initiatives may not be successful, which could negatively affect our profitability and growth.

In 2020, we announced the Polaris strategy, a multi-year plan designed to stabilize profitability and position the Company for sustainable, profitable growth. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have refined the components of the Polaris strategy to focus where we believe we can create differentiation and drive competitive advantage, including a focus on winning with fashion and style, delivering clear value, excelling in digital shopping, enhancing store experience, modernizing supply chain and enabling transformation. Our digitally-led omni-channel strategy is committed to creating a seamless integration between physical stores and digital shopping. We plan to continue our focus on strengthening our omni-channel capabilities with investments in digital shopping experiences, data and analytics, technology infrastructure and more efficient fulfillment capabilities. These initiatives have required and will continue to require our management, colleagues, and contractors to make transformational changes in our business operations and to improve productivity. These initiatives are also subject to the ability to attract and retain skilled personnel to support the initiatives. Our ability to achieve sustainable, profitable growth is subject to the successful implementation of our strategic plans, including the Polaris strategy, and realization of anticipated benefits and savings. If we are unable to successfully execute our strategic plans and initiatives to achieve the intended results or these investments or initiatives do not perform as expected or create implementation or operational challenges, our profitability and growth could suffer.

Our sales and operating results depend on our ability to anticipate and respond to consumer preferences and manage our inventory and merchandise selection.

The fashion and retail industries are subject to sudden shifts in consumer trends and consumer spending. Our sales and operating results depend in part on our ability to predict or respond to changes in fashion trends and consumer preferences in a timely manner. We develop new retail concepts and continuously adjust our inventory position in certain major and private-label brands and product categories in an effort to attract and retain customers. Any sustained failure to anticipate, identify and respond to emerging trends in lifestyle and consumer preferences could negatively affect our business and results of operations.

Our profitability depends on our ability to manage inventory levels and merchandise selection. Overestimating customer demand for merchandise will likely result in the need to record unplanned and incremental inventory markdowns and sell excess inventory at clearance prices, which would negatively impact our gross margins and operating results. Underestimating customer demand for merchandise can lead to inventory shortages, missed sales opportunities and negative customer experiences.

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The Company faces significant competition and challenges as consumers continue to migrate to online shopping and depends on its ability to differentiate itself in retail's ever-changing environment.

We conduct our retail merchandising business under highly competitive conditions. Although Macy's, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest retailers, we have numerous and varied competitors at the national and local levels, including department stores, specialty stores, general merchandise stores, manufacturers’ outlets, off-price and discount stores, online retailers and catalogs, among others. Competition is characterized by many factors, including assortment, advertising, price, quality, service, location, reputation and credit availability. Any failure by us to compete effectively could negatively affect our business and results of operations.

As consumers continue to migrate online, a trend that has accelerated with the COVID-19 pandemic, we face pressures to not only compete from a price perspective with our competitors, some of whom sell the same products, but also to differentiate Macy's, Inc’s. merchandise offerings, services and shopping experiences to stay relevant in retail's ever-changing environment. We continue to significantly invest in our omnichannel capabilities, seeking to improve the profitability of our digital business through delivery expense reduction, gross margin expansion and other initiatives to support digital sales growth.  We also are seeking to improve the delivery experience of our customers with strategic investments to fulfill digital sales demand and elevated delivery speed expectations. Insufficient, untimely or misguided investments in these areas could significantly impact our profitability and growth.

In addition, a continued decline of customer store traffic and migration of sales from brick-and-mortar stores to digital platforms could lead to additional store closures, restructuring and other costs that could adversely impact our results of operations and cash flows.

Our ability to grow depends in part on our stores remaining relevant to customers.

We have invested in facilities and fixtures upgrades, merchandise assortment and customer service in selected stores to improve customer retention rates and overall customer satisfaction. We have also opened new off-mall smaller store formats – Market by Macy’s and Bloomie’s – in selected markets to promote customer acquisition, test replacement, expansion or market entry locations, and support our omni-market capabilities. While these store investments and off-mall store formats are intended to improve the customer store experience and drive traffic, realization of these benefits may not occur.  

Because we rely on the ability of our physical retail locations to attract customers, provide full or curated merchandise selections, drive traffic to digital channels and assist in fulfillment, returns and other omni-channel functions, providing a desirable and sought-out shopping experience is important to our financial success. Changes in consumer shopping habits, an over-malled/over-retailed environment, financial difficulties at other anchor tenants, significant mall vacancy issues, mall violence and new on- and off-mall developments could each adversely impact the traffic at current retail locations and lead to a decline in our financial condition or performance.

We may not be able to successfully execute our real estate strategy.

We continue to explore opportunities to monetize our real estate portfolio, including sales of stores as well as non-store real estate, such as warehouses, outparcels and parking garages. We also continue to evaluate our real estate portfolio to identify opportunities where the redevelopment value of our real estate exceeds the value of non-strategic operating locations. This strategy is multi-pronged and may include transactions, strategic alliances or other arrangements with mall developers or other unrelated third-parties. Due to the cyclical nature of real estate markets, the performance of our real estate strategy is inherently volatile and could have a significant impact on our results of operations or financial condition.

Our revenues and cash requirements are affected by the seasonal nature of our business.

Our business is seasonal, with a high proportion of revenues and operating cash flows generated during the second half of the year, which includes the fall and the months of November and December. A disproportionate amount of our revenues is realized in the fourth quarter due to this seasonality. Should sales during this period fall below our expectations, a disproportionately negative impact on our annual results of operations could occur.

We generally incur significant additional expenses in the period leading up to the months of November and December in anticipation of higher sales volume in those periods, including costs for additional inventory, advertising and employees. If we are not successful in executing our sales strategy during this period, we may have to sell the inventory at significantly reduced prices or may not be able to sell the inventory at all, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.

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We depend on our ability to attract, train, develop and retain quality colleagues.

Our business is dependent upon attracting, training, developing and retaining quality employees at all levels of the organization, and management personnel to develop and effectively execute successful business strategies. Macy's, Inc. has a large number of employees, many of whom are in entry level or part-time positions with historically high rates of turnover. Our ability to meet labor needs while controlling costs associated with hiring and training new employees is subject to external factors such as unemployment levels, prevailing wage rates, minimum wage legislation and changing demographics. In recent years, low unemployment, labor shortages, intense competition for talent and a competitive wage environment have impacted our ability to attract, recruit and retain talent. In addition, the continued uncertainties surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, including changing national and local regulations related to protective measures to mitigate the spread of the virus, could cause us to incur additional unexpected labor costs and other expenses and impact our ability to attract, recruit or retain employees needed for our operations.

Increases in labor costs and the cost of employee benefits could impact our financial results and cash flow.

Minimum wage increases by states and wage and benefit increases to attract and retain workers in a tight labor market have increased labor costs in the retail sector. These increased costs pressure our margins and could have a negative impact on our financial results.

Our expenses relating to employee health benefits are significant. Recent medical plan cost increases have been driven by pandemic-related business impacts, increases in participation and claims under continued health insurance coverage after leaving employment, and pharmacy claims increases.  Unfavorable changes in the cost of employee health benefits could negatively affect our financial results and cash flow. Healthcare costs have risen significantly in recent years, and legislative and private sector initiatives regarding healthcare reform have resulted and could continue to result in significant changes to the U.S. healthcare system. Due to uncertainty regarding legislative or regulatory changes, we are not able to fully determine the impact that future healthcare reform could have on our company-sponsored medical plans.

If cash flows from our private label and co-branded credit cards decrease, our financial and operational results may be negatively impacted.

In 2005, in connection with the sale of most of the Company's credit card accounts and related receivable balances to Citibank, N.A. (“Citibank”), the Company and Citibank entered into a long-term marketing and servicing alliance pursuant to the terms of a Credit Card Program Agreement ("Credit Card Program"). Subsequent to this initial arrangement and associated amendments, on December 13, 2021, the Company entered into the sixth amendment to the amended and restated Credit Card Program with Citibank (the “Program Agreement”), pursuant to which Citibank issues, maintains and services Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s private label and co-branded credit cards.  Under the Program Agreement, which extends until March 31, 2030, Citibank owns the credit card receivables generated from sales through the credit cards and Macy’s receives fees and shares in profits based on a tiered return on the receivables portfolio net of program expenses.  Credit card revenues, net were $832 million, or approximately 3.4% of net sales, for 2021. Deterioration in economic conditions could adversely affect the volume of new credit accounts, the amount of credit card program balances and the ability of credit card holders to pay their balances. These conditions could result in the Company receiving lower payments under the credit card program.

In addition, recent shifts from sales through our proprietary credit cards to debit products and alternative buy-now-pay-later payment methods may result in increased costs and could have a negative impact to credit card revenues due to potentially reduced credit card receivable balances.

Credit card operations are subject to many federal and state laws that may impose certain requirements and limitations on credit card providers. Citibank and our subsidiary bank, FDS Bank, may be required to comply with regulations that may negatively impact the operation of our proprietary credit card. This negative impact may affect our revenue streams derived from the credit cards receivables portfolio and our financial results.

Our defined benefit plan funding requirements or plan settlement expense could impact our financial results and cash flow.

Significant changes in interest rates, decreases in the fair value of plan assets and timing and amount of benefit payments could affect the funded status of our plans and could increase future funding requirements of the plans. A significant increase in future funding requirements could have a negative impact on our cash flows, financial condition or results of operations.

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These plans allow eligible retiring employees to receive lump sum distributions of benefits earned. Under applicable accounting rules, if annual lump sum distributions exceed an actuarially determined threshold of the total of the annual service and interest costs, we would be required to recognize in the current period of operations a settlement expense of a portion of the unrecognized actuarial loss, which could have a negative impact on our results of operations.

If our Company’s reputation and brand image are not maintained at a high level, our operations and financial results may suffer.

We believe our reputation and brand image are partially based on the perception that we act equitably and honestly in dealing with our customers, employees, business partners and shareholders. Our reputation and brand image may be deteriorated by any incident that erodes the trust or confidence of our customers or the general public, particularly if the incident results in significant adverse publicity or governmental inquiry. Information about us, whether or not true, may be instantly posted on social media platforms at any time, which could adversely impact our reputation or brand image. The harm could be immediate without affording us an opportunity for redress or correction. If our reputation or brand image is damaged, our customers may refuse to continue shopping with us, potential employees may be unwilling to work for us, business partners may be discouraged from seeking future business dealings with us and, as a result, our business and results of operations may suffer.

If we are unable to protect our intellectual property, our brands and business could be damaged.

We believe that our copyrights, trademarks, trade dress, trade secrets and similar intellectual property are important assets and key elements of our strategy, including those related to our private brand merchandise. We rely on copyright and trademark law, trade secret protection and confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, vendors and others to protect our proprietary rights. If the steps we take to protect our proprietary rights are inadequate, or if we are unable to protect or preserve the value of our copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets and other proprietary rights for any reason, our merchandise brands and business could be negatively affected.

Infrastructure Risks

Unforeseen disruptions in our distribution and fulfillment centers could have an adverse impact on our business and operations.

Our business depends on the orderly receipt and distribution of merchandise and effective management of our distribution and fulfillment centers. Unforeseen disruptions in operations due to fire, severe weather conditions (including those that may be caused by climate change), natural disasters, health pandemics or other catastrophic events, labor disagreements, or other shipping problems may result in the loss or unavailability of inventory and/or delays in the delivery of merchandise to our stores, fulfillment centers and customers.

A material disruption in our information technology systems could adversely affect our business or results of operations.

We rely extensively on our information technology systems to process transactions, summarize results and manage our business. Our information technology systems are subject to damage or interruption from power outages, computer and telecommunications failures, computer viruses, cyber-attack or other security breaches, catastrophic events such as fires, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, acts of war or terrorism, and usage errors by our employees. If our information technology systems are materially damaged or cease to function properly, including a material disruption in our ability to authorize and process transactions at our stores or on our online systems, we may have to make a significant investment to fix or replace them, and we may suffer loss of critical data and interruptions or delays in our operations. Any material interruption in our information technology systems could negatively affect our business and results of operations.

If our technology-based e-commerce systems do not function properly, our operating results could be negatively affected.

Customers are increasingly shopping online. We strive to anticipate and meet our customers’ changing expectations and are focused on building a seamless shopping experience across our omnichannel business. Any failure to provide user-friendly, secure e-commerce platforms that offer merchandise, delivery options and shopping experiences that resonate with customers could place us at a competitive disadvantage, result in the loss of online and other sales, harm our reputation with customers and have a material adverse impact on the growth of our business and our operating results.

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Information Security, Cybersecurity, Privacy and Data Management Risks

A breach of our information technology systems could adversely affect our reputation, business partner and customer relationships and operations, and result in high costs.

Through our sales, marketing activities, and use of third-party information, we collect and store certain non-public personal information that customers provide to purchase products or services, enroll in promotional programs, register on websites, or otherwise communicate to us. This may include phone numbers, driver license numbers, contact preferences, personal information stored on electronic devices, and payment information, including credit and debit card data. We gather and retain information about employees in the normal course of business. We may share information about such persons with vendors that assist with certain aspects of our business. In addition, our online operations depend upon the transmission of confidential information over the Internet, such as information permitting cashless payments.    

We employ safeguards for the protection of this information and have made significant investments to secure access to our information technology network, the importance of which has increased due to many of our colleagues working remotely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, we have implemented authentication protocols, installed firewalls and anti-virus/anti-malware software, established data security breach preparedness and response plans, and conduct continuous risk assessments. We also employ encryption and other methods to protect our data, promote security awareness with our employees and work with business partners in an effort to create secure and compliant systems.

Protections we have in place to safeguard this information may be compromised as a result of third-party security breaches, theft, cyberattacks, errors by employees or employees of third-party vendors, or contractors, misappropriation of data by employees, vendors or unaffiliated third-parties, or other irregularities that may result in persons obtaining unauthorized access to company data.

Retail data frequently targeted by cybercriminals includes consumer credit card data, personally identifiable information, including social security numbers, and health care information. For retailers, point of sale and e-commerce websites are often attacked through compromised credentials, including those obtained through phishing, vishing and credential stuffing. Other methods of attack include advanced malware, the exploitation of software and operating vulnerabilities, and physical device tampering/skimming at card reader units. We believe these attack methods will continue to evolve. In addition, the risk of cyber-based attacks is heightened with many of our employees working and accessing our technology infrastructure remotely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cyber threats are increasing in scope, sophistication and frequency and bad actors are exploiting vulnerabilities to gain access to networks for the purpose of implementing ransomware, which is used to encrypt and steal data and causes public facing business interruptions. Our ability to react, mitigate and restore services from an interruption of our systems and processes is key to avoiding adverse financial impacts resulting from loss of sales, services and the cost of paying a ransom.

Remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic has also created additional challenges to our ability to protect remote workers, corporate networks and cloud environments. We are identifying, tracking and mitigating advanced phishing, malware and credential compromises daily. These attacks are typically occurring on home networks and migrate to the corporate network. However, despite instituting controls for the protection of information, the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service change frequently and our systems and networks may nevertheless remain vulnerable to threats and attacks. To date, no cybersecurity incident or attack has had a material impact on our business or results of operations. Unauthorized parties may attempt to gain access to our systems or facilities, or those of third parties with whom we do business, through fraud, trickery, or other forms of deception to employees, contractors, vendors and temporary staff. During the normal course of business, we have experienced and expect to continue to experience attempts to compromise our information systems. We may be unable to protect the integrity of our systems or company data. An alleged or actual unauthorized access or unauthorized disclosure of non-public personal information could:

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Supply Chain and Third-Party Risks

We depend on vendors and other sources of merchandise, goods and services outside the U.S. Our business could be affected by disruptions in, or other legal, regulatory, political, economic or public health issues associated with, our supply network.

We depend on vendors for timely and efficient access to products we sell. We source the majority of our merchandise from manufacturers located outside the U.S., primarily Asia.  In the normal course of business, we provide credit enhancement to our vendors to support accounts receivable factoring and financing with third parties. Current economic conditions may adversely impact our vendors and they may be unable to access financing or become insolvent and unable to supply us with products, or we may be required to increase cash collateral levels or provide guarantees to support our vendors’ financing arrangements. Any major changes in tax policy, such as the disallowance of tax deductions for imported merchandise could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and liquidity.

In recent months, we have experienced delays in merchandise inventory receipts and product delivery due to a continuing global shortage of vessels and air freight, port congestion, a global worker shortage impacting shipping and ports, truck driver shortages, rail congestion at major freight hubs and increasing demand for consumer goods. Although these delays have not materially impacted our operations to date, they could potentially have a material adverse impact on future product availability, product mix and sales if the delays do not improve. We are also experiencing increases in shipping rates from Trans-Pacific ocean carriers due increases in spot market rates and to shortage of shipping capacity from China and other parts of Asia, and increases in trucking costs due to truck driver shortages and fuel costs.

The procurement of all our goods and services is subject to the effects of price increases, which we may or may not be able to pass through to our customers. In addition, our procurement of goods and services from outside the U.S. is subject to risks associated with political or financial instability, trade restrictions, tariffs, currency exchange rates, transport capacity and costs, health pandemics and other factors relating to foreign trade. All of these factors may affect our ability to access suitable merchandise on acceptable terms, are beyond our control and could negatively affect our business, results of operations and liquidity.

In recent years, the U.S. has been engaged in extended trade negotiations with China, which has resulted in the implementation of tariffs on a significant number of products manufactured in China and imported into the U.S. While recent tariffs and modifications to trade agreements have not resulted in a material impact on our business, results of operations, and liquidity to date, any additional actions, if ultimately enacted, could negatively impact our ability and the ability of our third-party vendors and suppliers to source products from foreign jurisdictions, which could lead to an increase in the cost of goods and adversely affect the Company’s profitability.

We continue to evaluate the impact of currently effective tariffs, including potential future retaliatory tariffs, as well as other recent changes in foreign trade policy and the U.S. Administration on our supply chain, costs, sales and profitability, and are working through strategies to mitigate such impact, including reviewing sourcing options and working with our vendors and merchants. At this time, it is unknown how long U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods will remain in effect or whether additional tariffs will be imposed. Depending upon their duration and implementation, as well as our ability to mitigate their impact, these changes in foreign trade policy and any recently enacted, proposed and future tariffs on products imported by us from China could negatively impact our business, results of operations and liquidity if they seriously disrupt the movement of products through our supply chain or increase their cost. In addition, while we may be able to shift our sourcing options, executing such a shift would be time consuming and would be difficult or impracticable for many products and may result in an increase in our manufacturing costs. The adoption and expansion of trade restrictions, retaliatory tariffs, or other governmental action related to tariffs or international trade agreements or policies has the potential to adversely impact demand for our products, our costs, our customers, our suppliers, and/or the U.S. economy, which in turn could adversely impact our business and results of operations.

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If our vendors, or any raw material vendors on which our vendors or our private label business relies, suffer prolonged manufacturing or transportation disruptions due to public health conditions or other unforeseen events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, our ability to source product could be adversely impacted which would adversely affect our results of operations.

Disruption of global sourcing activities and quality and other concerns over our own brands could negatively impact brand reputation and earnings.

Economic and civil unrest in areas of the world where we source products, as well as shipping and dockage issues, could adversely impact the availability or cost of our products, or both. Most of the Company’s goods imported to the U.S. arrive from Asia through ports located on the U.S. west coast and are subject to potential disruption due to labor unrest or shortages, security issues or natural disasters affecting any or all of these ports. In addition, in recent years, we have substantially increased the number and types of merchandise that are sold under the Company’s proprietary brands. While we have focused on the quality of our proprietary branded products, we rely on third-parties to manufacture these products. Such third-party manufacturers may prove to be unreliable, the quality of our globally sourced products may vary from expectations and standards, the products may not meet applicable regulatory requirements which may require us to recall these products, or the products may infringe upon the intellectual property rights of third-parties. We face challenges in seeking indemnities from manufacturers of these products, including the uncertainty of recovering on such indemnity and the lack of understanding by manufacturers of U.S. product liability laws in certain foreign jurisdictions.

We also face concerns relating to human rights, working conditions and other labor rights, and conditions and environmental impact in factories or countries where merchandise that we sell is produced, as well as concerns about transparent sourcing and supply chains. Although we have implemented policies and procedures designed to facilitate compliance with laws and regulations relating to production of merchandise, doing business in foreign countries and importing merchandise, and to screen, train and monitor our private label vendors to ensure safe and ethical treatment of workers in our supply chain, there can be no assurance that our vendors and other third parties with whom we do business will not violate such laws and regulations or our policies, which could subject us to liability and could adversely impact our reputation, results of operations and business.

Material disruptions in relationships with third-parties with whom the Company does business could adversely affect its operations.

The Company is a party to contracts, transactions and business relationships with various third parties, including suppliers, service providers, lenders and participants in joint ventures, strategic alliances and other commercial relationships. In some cases, we depend upon such third parties to provide products, services, advertising, technology infrastructure, development and support, data analytics, logistics, other goods and services to operate our business in the ordinary course, extensions of credit, credit card accounts and related receivables, and other matters. Furthermore, third-party vendors may sell products directly to consumers in addition to, or in some cases in lieu of, traditional wholesale channels such as independent stores and retail chains. As our business model depends on offering quality and relevant merchandise brands from third-party vendors in addition to our own private label products, any material disruption in our relationship with such vendors, or material disruption in the products or services provided by other third parties, could adversely affect our revenues, expense structure, earnings and operations.

Economic, Global, Legal and External Risks

The Company’s business is subject to discretionary consumer spending, unfavorable economic and political conditions, and other related risks.

Our sales are significantly affected by changes in discretionary spending by consumers. Consumer spending may be affected by many factors outside of our control, including general economic conditions, consumer disposable income levels, consumer confidence levels, the availability, cost and level of consumer debt, consumer behaviors towards incurring and paying debt, the cost of basic necessities and other goods, the strength of the U.S. Dollar relative to foreign currencies and the effects of the weather, natural disasters or health pandemics. These factors can have psychological or economic impacts on consumers that affect their discretionary spending habits. Any decline in discretionary spending by consumers could negatively affect our business and results of operations.

Unfavorable global, domestic or regional economic or political conditions and other developments and risks could negatively affect our business and results of operations. For example, unfavorable changes related to interest rates, rates of economic growth, fiscal and monetary policies of governments, inflation, deflation, tax rates and policy, unemployment trends, energy prices, and other matters that influence the availability and cost of merchandise, consumer

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confidence, spending and tourism could negatively affect our business and results of operations. Unstable political conditions, civil unrest, terrorist activities, armed conflicts or events of extreme violence, including any escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, may disrupt commerce and could negatively affect our business and results of operations.

Our business could be materially adversely affected by extreme weather conditions, natural disasters or regional or global health pandemics.

Extreme weather conditions, including those that may be caused by climate change, in the areas in which our stores are located could negatively affect our business and results of operations. For example, frequent or unusually heavy snowfall, ice storms, rainstorms or other extreme weather conditions over a prolonged period could make it difficult for our customers to travel to our stores and thereby reduce our sales and profitability. Our business is also susceptible to unseasonable weather conditions. For example, extended periods of unseasonably warm temperatures during the winter season or cool weather during the summer season could reduce demand for a portion of our inventory and thereby reduce our sales and profitability. In addition, extreme weather conditions could result in disruption or delay of production and delivery of materials and products in our supply chain and cause staffing shortages in our stores.

Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes, or a combination of these or other factors, could damage or destroy our facilities or make it difficult for customers to travel to our stores, thereby negatively affecting our business and results of operations.

Public concern regarding the risk of contracting COVID-19 and any related variants could have a material and adverse effect on our business. The continued development of the COVID-19 pandemic could also impact future economic activity, which could lead to increased unemployment and significantly impact consumer confidence and discretionary spending.

Litigation, legislation, regulatory developments or non-compliance could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We are subject to various federal, state and local laws, rules, regulations, inquiries and initiatives in connection with both our core business operations and our credit card and other ancillary operations (including the Credit Card Act of 2009 and the Home Owners’ Loan Act of 1933). Recent and future developments relating to such matters could increase our compliance costs and adversely affect the profitability of our credit card and other operations. Our effective tax rate is impacted by a number of factors, including changes in federal or state tax law, interpretation of existing laws and the ability to defend and support the tax positions taken on historical tax returns. Certain changes in any of these factors could materially impact the Company’s effective tax rate and net income.

We are also subject to anti-bribery, customs, child labor, truth-in-advertising and other laws, including consumer protection regulations and zoning and occupancy ordinances that regulate retailers generally and/or govern the importation, promotion and sale of merchandise and the operation of retail stores and warehouse facilities. Although we undertake to monitor changes in these laws, if these laws change without our knowledge, or are violated by importers, designers, manufacturers, distributors or agents, we could experience delays in shipments and receipt of goods or be subject to fines or other penalties under the controlling regulations, any of which could negatively affect our business and results of operations. In addition, we are regularly involved in various litigation matters that arise in the ordinary course of our business. Adverse outcomes in current or future litigation could negatively affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Changes in applicable environmental regulations, including increased or additional regulations to limit carbon emissions or other greenhouse gases may result in increased compliance costs, capital expenditures and other financial obligations which could affect our profitability.

In addition, our business is subject to complex and rapidly evolving laws addressing data privacy and data protection and companies are under increased regulatory scrutiny with respect to these matters. The Federal Trade Commission and many state attorneys general are interpreting federal and state consumer protection laws to impose standards for the online collection, use, dissemination and security of data. The interpretation and application of existing laws regarding data privacy and data protection are in flux and many states are considering new regulations in this area. The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) and other applicable U.S. privacy laws or new state or federal laws may limit our ability to collect and use data, require us to modify our data processing practices or result in the possibility of fines, litigation or orders which may have an adverse effect on our business and

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results of operations. The burdens imposed by these and other laws and regulations that may be enacted, or new interpretations of existing laws and regulations, may also require us to incur substantial costs to reach compliance or change the manner in which we use data.

Our sales and operating results could be adversely affected by product safety concerns.

If our merchandise offerings do not meet applicable safety standards or consumers' expectations regarding safety, we could experience decreased sales, increased costs and/or be exposed to legal and reputational risk. Events that give rise to actual, potential or perceived product safety concerns could expose us to government enforcement action and/or private litigation. Reputational damage caused by real or perceived product safety concerns could negatively affect our business and results of operations.

Climate Change-Related Risks

Climate change, or legal, regulatory, or market measures to address climate change, could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We have identified certain climate change-related risks that may impact our business over the short-, medium- and long-term. The nature of these risks depends on both the physical aspects of climate change as well as legal, regulatory, and market requirements, pressure to reduce our carbon footprint and our ability to understand and respond to rapidly evolving developments. Climate change and related measures could have adverse impacts on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations, including, but not limited to:

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Financial Risks

Inability to access capital markets could adversely affect our business or financial condition.

Changes in the credit and capital markets, including market disruptions, limited liquidity and interest rate fluctuations, may increase the cost of financing or restrict our access to this potential source of future liquidity. A downgrade in the ratings that rating agencies assign to the Company’s short- and long-term debt has and may continue to negatively impact our access to the debt capital markets and increase our cost of borrowing. In addition, our asset-based credit facility requires us to maintain a specified fixed charge coverage ratio. Our ability to comply with the ratio may be affected by events beyond our control, including prevailing economic, financial and industry conditions. If our results of operations deteriorate to a point where we are not in compliance with our debt covenants, and we are unable to obtain a waiver, much of our debt would be in default and could become due and payable immediately. Our assets may not be sufficient to repay in full this indebtedness, resulting in a need for an alternate source of funding. We cannot make any assurances that we would be able to obtain such an alternate source of funding on satisfactory terms, if at all, and our inability to do so could cause the holders of our securities to experience a partial or total loss of their investments in the Company.

Our level of indebtedness may adversely affect our ability to operate our business, remain in compliance with debt covenants, react to changes in our business or the industry in which we operate, or prevent us from making payments on our indebtedness.

As of January 29, 2022, the aggregate principal amount of our total outstanding indebtedness was $3,295 million. Our level of indebtedness could have important consequences for the holders of our debt and equity securities. For example, it could:

Any of these risks could materially impact our ability to fund our operations or limit our ability to expand our business, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

None.

The properties of the Company consist primarily of stores and related facilities, including a logistics network. The Company also owns or leases other properties, including corporate office space in New York and other facilities at which centralized operational support functions are conducted.

As of January 29, 2022, the operations of the Company included 725 store locations in 43 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam, comprising a total of approximately 112 million square feet. At these locations, store boxes consisted of 323 owned boxes, 356 leased boxes, 104 boxes operated under arrangements where the Company owned the building and leased the land and four boxes of partly owned and partly leased buildings. All owned properties are held free and clear of mortgages.  As of January 29, 2022, certain properties secured certain senior notes, as disclosed

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further in Item 7. Pursuant to various shopping center agreements, the Company is obligated to operate certain stores for periods of up to 15 years. Some of these agreements require that the stores be operated under a particular name. Most leases require the Company to pay real estate taxes, maintenance and other costs; some also require additional payments based on percentages of sales and some contain purchase options. Certain of the Company’s real estate leases have terms that extend for a significant number of years and provide for rental rates that increase or decrease over time.

The Company's operations were conducted through the following branded store locations:

Store count activity was as follows:

Additional information about the Company’s store boxes as of January 29, 2022 is as follows:

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Additional information about the Company’s logistics network as of January 29, 2022 is as follows:

Item 3.Legal Proceedings.

The Company and its subsidiaries are involved in various proceedings that are incidental to the normal course of their businesses. As of the date of this report, the Company does not expect that any of such proceedings will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.

Retail Hazardous Waste Matter. As previously reported, the District Attorneys for ten counties in California and the City of Los Angeles are investigating alleged non-compliance with laws and regulations enacted or adopted regulating the storage, transportation and disposal of hazardous waste in California at Macy’s stores and distribution centers.  The Company is cooperating with the offices and agencies involved, which are focused on disposal and return of cosmetic products, and is committed to adopting policies and procedures as may be appropriate depending on the outcome of the investigation into this matter.  No administrative or judicial proceedings have been initiated.  In October 2020, the District Attorneys made an initial settlement demand to the Company that included a monetary penalty, reimbursement of investigation costs and injunctive relief. The Company expects to pay $1,925,000 to resolve this matter and is in the process of finalizing settlement documentation. The reserve, included within accounts payable and accrued liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of January 29, 2022, reflects the expected loss.

Item 4.Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

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PART II

Item 5.Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

The Company's common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol “M.” As of January 29, 2022, the Company had approximately 13,037 stockholders of record.

The declaration and payment of future dividends will be at the discretion of the Company’s Board of Directors, are subject to restrictions under the Company’s debt instruments and may be affected by various other factors, including the Company’s earnings, financial condition and legal or contractual restrictions.

The following table provides information regarding the Company’s purchases of common stock during the fourth quarter of 2021.

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The following graph compares the cumulative total stockholder return on the Company's common stock with the Standard & Poor's 500 Composite Index and the Company's peer groups for the period from January 28, 2017 through January 29, 2022, assuming an initial investment of $100 and the reinvestment of all dividends, if any.

The peer group comprised of companies within the S&P Retail Select Index is used by the Compensation and Management Development Committee of the Board of Directors for evaluating compensation related to the Company’s performance-based restricted stock units. The Compensation and Management Development Committee of the Board of Directors also uses peer group comparisons and benchmarking and to assess and evaluate compensation for the Company’s executive officers. The companies included in the peer group are Bed, Bath & Beyond, Best Buy, Dillard’s, Dollar Tree, Gap, Kohl’s, Lowe’s, Nordstrom, Ross Stores, Target, TJX Companies, Burlington Stores, Dicks Sporting Goods, Foot Locker and Williams-Sonoma. L Brands was removed from the peer group as compared to 2020 due to the spin-off of Victoria’s Secret during 2021.  

Item 6.[Reserved]

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The following Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) is intended to promote understanding of the results of operations and financial condition of the Company. MD&A is provided as a supplement to, and should be read in conjunction with, our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying Notes to Financial Statements (Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K).  This section generally discusses the results of operations for 2021 compared to 2020 and 2019.  The discussion that follows includes a comparison of our results of operations and liquidity and capital resources for the fiscal years ended January 29, 2022 to January 30, 2021 and February 1, 2020. For a full discussion of changes from the fiscal year ended January 30, 2021 to the fiscal year ended February 1, 2020, refer to Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in Part II, Item 7 of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 30, 2021 (filed March 29, 2021). This section also contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Company's plans, estimates and beliefs. The Company's actual results could materially differ from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to those differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed below and elsewhere in this report, particularly in “Risk Factors” and “Forward-Looking Statements.”

Overview

The Company is an omnichannel retail organization operating stores, websites and mobile applications under three brands (Macy's, Bloomingdale's and bluemercury) that sell a wide range of merchandise, including apparel and accessories (men's, women's and kids'), cosmetics, home furnishings and other consumer goods. As of January 29, 2022, the Company's operations were conducted through Macy's, Market by Macy’s, Macy’s Backstage, Bloomingdale’s, Bloomingdale’s The Outlet, Bloomies and bluemercury, which are aggregated into one reporting segment in accordance with the FASB Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 280, Segment Reporting.

Bloomingdale's in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Al Zahra, Kuwait are operated under a license agreement with Al Tayer Insignia, a company of the Al Tayer Group, LLC.

In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a global pandemic, which continues to spread throughout the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the Company's 2020 operations and financial results, and the full financial impact of the pandemic cannot be reasonably estimated at this time due to uncertainty as to the severity and duration of the pandemic. 2020 was a year of unprecedented challenges and required the Company to adapt its business to address the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Faced with the temporary closure of stores and changes in consumer shopping behaviors, the Company had to right-size its cost base and operating model, offer new fulfillment options to customers, focus on product categories with higher consumer demand, and accelerate its focus on digital shopping and underlying investments to support these trends.  Financial results in the first and second quarter of 2020 were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic but the Company saw sequential improvement in its operating results during the third and fourth quarters of 2020.  Although uncertainty surrounds the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company positioned itself to focus on the recovery of its business in 2021 and execute on its corporate strategy for profitable growth in the future.

Although the Company has experienced strong recovery in operating results during 2021 as compared to 2020, the Company continues to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on the macro economy as well as on the Company’s and its vendor partners’ operations. The full impact of the pandemic will continue to depend on future developments, including the continued spread and duration of the pandemic, the emergence of future variant strains of COVID-19, the availability and distribution of effective medical treatments or vaccines as well as any related federal, state or local governmental orders or restrictions, or mandates. In addition, numerous uncertainties continue to surround the pandemic and its ultimate impact on the Company, including the timing and extent of any recovery in consumer traffic and spending, potential delays, interruptions and disruptions in the Company’s supply chain, maintenance of temporary government stimulus programs, labor shortages and intense competition for talent, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. Modifications to work environment policies could also impact the use of certain corporate assets, and as such could lead to additional long-lived tangible and right of use corporate asset impairment.

In evaluating the performance of 2021, the Company considered its results against 2020 as well as 2019 given the impact of the pandemic and the closure of the Company’s stores during 2020. Certain financial highlights are as follows:

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See pages 34 to 36 for reconciliations of the non-GAAP financial measures presented above to the most comparable U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") financial measures and other important information.

Polaris Strategy

During 2021, the Company continued to execute its Polaris strategy and these actions impacted its operating results for the year, notably:

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As a result of the execution of its Polaris strategy, the Company also recognized improvement in customer engagement. The Company saw Platinum, Gold and Silver Star Rewards customers continue to engage with the Macy’s brand during 2021, with the average customer spend up 12% compared to 2019.  During 2021, Macy’s brand active customer count increased 18% over 2020 and 1% over 2019 to 44 million. For 2021, after eliminating repeat visits between quarters, the Company’s new customers increased 40% over 2020 and 26% over 2019 to 19.4 million.

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Analysis of Results of Operations

See pages 34 to 36 for a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most comparable GAAP financial measure and for other important information.

Comparison of 2021 and 2020

Net sales for 2020 were significantly impacted by the pandemic and the temporary closure of stores during the first and second quarters. The Company’s 2021 net sales showed recovery across all three brands – Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and bluemercury. The Company experienced strength across nearly all of its major merchandise categories, most significantly in home, jewelry and fragrances, driven by continued customer strength, the continued recovery of its stores as well as continued growth in its digital channel.