Four Macy’s stores in Massachusetts and Connecticut are among dozens of locations slated for closure nationwide. The department store chain cites slow 2015 sales as the reason.
The Macy’s at the Berkshire Mall in Lanesborough employs about 60 people, and is scheduled to go out of business in a few months.
Heather Boulger, head of the Berkshire County Regional Employment Board, said that while any job losses hurt, she’s already heard from other retailers looking to hire some of the soon-to-be former Macy’s employees.
“The retail industry is about 14 percent of the overall Berkshire County economy,” Boulger said. “We’re hoping that there might be some other opportunities for the workers impacted in the retail sector will have the opportunity to apply for and hopefully be absorbed within the Berkshire economy.”
Macy’s also plans to close its location at Eastfield Mall in Springfield and two Enfield, Connecticut, stores. All together, about 200 jobs will be lost.
This report was originally published at New England Public Radio.
