Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette: Retailers Shouldn’t Be Labeled ‘Essential’ or ‘Non-Essential’

As coronavirus cases spike and new restrictions pile up across the country, there’s been a renewed debate about what constitutes an essential business. Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette thinks the designation shouldn’t apply. Instead, health and safety measures should dictate whether a store should be open. “We don’t believe the designation of essential and nonessential should play in retail. We believe you either have a safe environment or not,” Gennette said on a conference call today. “You should be held accountable to health and safety standards, and we stand by those. And based on how we’ve performed and based on how our customers have signaled to us, we’re doing a great job with that.” Addressing the possibility more temporary closures — which dramatically impacted the retail sector in March and April — the CEO said he believes Macy’s can operate through the pandemic and keep all of its stores open. “We’ve clearly shown that we know how to keep our colleagues and our customers safe. And so that’s what we’re clearly pushing through the NRF and RILA [retail lobbying organizations], working with all of our municipal leaders as well as governors.” During the past week, as cities and states implemented stepped-up measures to curb pandemic

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