Retailers Pay Quiet Tribute on 9/11 Anniversary

Retailers and shopping centers, looking to the nation’s capital and local city agencies to set the tone, will be laying low on the upcoming one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, with plans to restrict their marketing efforts or offer events to honor victims.

Whatever their approach, this coming Sept. 11 is expected to generate little sales, as the nation is gearing up for a day of commemoration and mourning.

“No one expects it to be a good day,” said George Whalin, president and founding partner of Retail Management Consultants in San Marcos, Calif. “Retailers hope to get through it and let it pass and get back to business.”

Most important, however, business isn’t shutting down, as retailers on both coasts plan to stay open for the day. Some stores, including Saks Fifth Avenue, will curtail their hours so employees can attend ceremonies.

Saks will open 11 metropolitan stores in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.—including its flagship Fifth Avenue location—and its corporate offices at noon instead of 10 a.m., said Michael Macko, director of publicity. The retailer, which closed all 62 of its doors last year on the day of the attacks, also plans to replace merchandise in its windows with the words “With Remembrance” written on a white backdrop. The slogan is also part of a newspaper ad campaign Saks will run that day in the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“We’re just trying to maintain a balance of being respectful and resilience,” said Macko, whose father died in the 1993 World Trade Center attacks. “If the whole city shuts down, millions of dollars would be lost.”

Retailers including Target Corp. and Sears Roebuck & Co. have announced that they will suspend TV ads that would have been broadcast on Sept. 11. Others, including J.C. Penney and Mervyn’s, plan to postpone sales events that would have occurred on that day, said Sarah Thompson, spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation.

“They’ve reached the consensus among themselves to do something as non-commercial as possible,” she said.

Federated Department Stores, parent company of Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, which closed a number of stores last Sept. 11, including ones in Los Angeles at the Beverly Center mall and the Century City Shopping Center, has partnered with America’s Blood Centers for a nationwide drive that will seek pledges for future blood donations.

Shoppers can find forms for the drive in stores Sept. 6–15 as well as on the Federated and Macy’s Web sites through Sept. 30.

“We wanted to do something that fit a universal need,” said Jean Coggan, Federated’s manager of community and public relations.

Some retailers are still finalizing plans for the day, including Robinsons-May. The TJX Cos., which suffered the loss of seven associates last Sept. 11, will announce its plans on Sept. 3, said a spokesperson.

Mall developers are also trying to generate goodwill for the anniversary. Forest City Enterprises will feature ongoing band performances all day at its Galleria at Sunset mall in Henderson, Nev. The Orlando Fashion Square mall, owned by Colonial Property Trust, will partner with the local CBS affiliate to broadcast a public “Pledge of Allegiance” from its center.

Boutiques are also opting for the understated approach. Remembrance candles will be placed outside of the Beige store in Los Angeles, according to manager Marc Gruber.

“We wanted to keep the home fires burning for everyone so that we remember but carry on,” he said.

The roughly 80 retailers along Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Calif.—home to Gucci, Versace and Chanel—plan to place white flowers in their stores as a tribute to the day.

“It’s a symbol of peace and solidarity,” said Peri Ellen Berne, president of the Rodeo Drive Committee and manager of La Perla.

Because of Dari’s successful trunk show and charity event last year, where 50 percent of proceeds went to the New York City Firemen’s Fund, the store’s owner, Melanie Shatner Gretsch, said she plans to reprise the tradition on the anniversary day and in the future.

“This year and for years to come, we plan to donate 25 percent of proceeds from sales on 9/11 to a charity affected by the events of the day,” she said.

Contrary to most store owners, Gretsch said she doesn’t expect a drop in business on Sept. 11, based on last year’s strong results.

“People tended to come here and hang out and felt a sense of community, and I think people feeling sad or lonely or lost may just come by that day to be with nice people,” she said.