By Randy Tucker
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Deshaunna Gee (left), 13, and Deana Bacon, 11, of Bond Hill shop in the reinvented juniors department at the Lazarus store in Kenwood Towne Centre. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

ATLANTA - The Rich's-Macy's department store here at Lennox Square Mall is a big hit with Vanessa Graves, who was shopping for shoes last weekend between sessions at a convention she was attending at the nearby Swissotel.

But the 37-year-old human resources consultant from Berkeley, Calif., said she probably wouldn't have set foot in the store last year - before Cincinnati-based Federated Department Stores decided to add Macy's to the Rich's nameplate.

"I travel a lot, and I'm in and out of Atlanta all the time,'' Graves said. "Whenever I'm here, I usually hit the big-name stores like Neiman-Marcus, Saks and Macy's. I just wasn't that familiar with Rich's; and, frankly, I wouldn't be shopping here if I didn't know it was affiliated with Macy's.''

Graves is just the kind of new customer Federated officials expect to attract when the new Lazarus-Macy's nameplate debuts Friday at former Lazarus stores.

Federated said it would couple the names of all five of its regional chains with the Macy's brand after its successful experiment in Atlanta, where Rich's became the first of the regional players to add the Macy's moniker in February.

The move tested the loyalty of faithful Rich's shoppers and the pull of the famous Macy's brand, nationally known for its sponsorship of the Thanksgiving Day parade in New York and its leading role in the 1947 movie Miracle on 34th Street.

Feedback from out-of-town visitors and shopping-crazed Atlantans alike indicates that the name-change was a big success, working exactly as Federated had planned by maintaining the patronage of shoppers loyal to the local brand and also attracting well-traveled, fashion-conscious consumers who are more familiar with Macy's.

"I don't think the name change means that much to people who live in Atlanta because both stores have been here for years, and they're essentially the same,'' said Charlotte Payton, a lifelong Atlanta resident and manager of the Crate & Barrel store at Lennox Square. "Both stores are known as good, middle-of-the-road department stores that carry almost exactly the same merchandise and have good sales. As long as that doesn't change, it's all good.''

No need to worry.

Any changes that the public sees will only enhance the shopping experience at the hyphenated Macy's stores, Ellen Fructman, a spokeswoman for Lazarus, said.

"The integration of the Macy's name with the Lazarus name is all about combining the best of both worlds,'' Fructman said.

That means slightly more upscale merchandise and such amenities as shopping carts, price scanners and plush waiting areas at many of the new Lazarus-Macy's stores, including Lazarus at Kenwood Towne Centre.

The idea is to make the stores more open, inviting and convenient for shoppers.

But many analysts think that the real draw will be the Macy's expansion, which will affect 151 Federated stores nationwide.

The name of Federated's marquee Bloomingdale's stores, which carry higher-end merchandise than other Federated stores, will not be changed.

"For the first time, Federated will have a real national chain of department stores,'' said Kurt Barnard, chief economist and president of Barnard's Retail Trend Report, a New Jersey-based consulting company. "That's not an easy thing to accomplish, and it will separate Federated from many of its peers.''

Barnard pointed out that retailers have paired names before, but none has had the national and international recognition of the Macy's name, which will be integrated gradually into markets where Lazarus operates.

So far, Lazarus shoppers have seen the name change only in advertising and on their new credit cards. New in-store signs will go up Friday; the nameplates outside the stores won't be changed immediately.

Still, Federated has positioned itself to capitalize on Macy's name recognition just in time for the all-important Christmas shopping season, which accounts for the lion's share of Federated's annual sales and profits.

"This is an excellent move, and it comes at just the right time,'' Barnard said. "The name change may be subtle, but it's there, and it won't be lost on consumers at Christmas time.''

Federated's expanded use of the Macy's name also will allow the company to save money by buying television and newspaper ads nationally as opposed to making buys for each chain in separate markets.

But even with the increased name recognition and cost savings, Federated's trials are far from over.

"By itself, the name change will help, but it by no means addresses all the issues facing department stores,'' said Fank Badillo, chief economist at the consulting firm Retail Forward in Columbus. "Discount chains continue to draw shoppers from department stores by offering name-brand merchandise at lower prices. And department stores continue to be criticized for their layout. The branding issue is just one of many facing department stores, including Federated.''

E-mail rtucker@enquirer.com