Raising the Barr

Federated Department Stores Inc. (Cincinnati) has announced a new principal team for its St. Louis-based Famous-Barr division, which will become Macy’s Midwest on Feb. 1, 2006.

William McNamara has been named the division’s chairman and ceo and Brian Keck its president and chief operating officer, effective immediately.

Federated said it is “reviewing potential opportunities” for Famous-Barr’s current principals, president and ceo Ira Pickell and chairman Duane Nicks.

McNamara most recently served as vice chairman of The May Department Stores Co. (St. Louis), which was acquired by Federated on Aug. 30, 2005. In addition to his new role at Famous-Barr, McNamara will continue to oversee Marshall Field’s and four former May Co. divisions until those four divisions are consolidated with Federated’s existing Macy’s divisions in February 2006, as previously announced. McNamara will report to Federated vice chair Susan Kronick.

Keck most recently has served as May’s corporate senior vp for human resources. He will maintain interim corporate human resources responsibility through the merger integration process. Keck will report to McNamara.

“One of the benefits of the Federated/May Co. merger is the opportunity to incorporate some of May’s best talent into our combined company,” said Kronick, who is responsible for all Federated department store divisions. “Bill McNamara and Brian Keck are exceptional senior executives and we are fortunate to add their depth of expertise to the Federated team. They will begin immediately the process of enhancing Famous-Barr’s management team as the division prepares to nearly triple its portfolio of stores as Macy’s Midwest over the next 18 months.”

The Famous-Barr division operates 42 stores in five states under the names of Famous-Barr, L. S. Ayres and The Jones Store. Effective Feb. 1, 2006, it will retain 38 of those locations and assume responsibility for current 38 Kaufmann’s locations in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and six current Macy’s stores in Pennsylvania and Indiana now operated by Federated’s Macy’s Central division. All stores will convert to the Macy’s nameplate in fall 2006.

After systems conversions expected by spring 2007, Macy’s Midwest will assume responsibility for an additional 24 Macy’s, three former Kaufmann’s and one former Famous-Barr store in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and West Virginia. By early 2007, Macy’s Midwest will operate approximately 110 stores in nine states stretching from Kansas to Pennsylvania.

McNamara began his retailing career in 1972 as an executive trainee at Filene’s, then the Boston-based division of Federated. (Filene’s was acquired by May Company in 1988.) He served in a variety of executive and buying positions until 1986, when he was named senior vp and general merchandise manager at Filene’s. In 1995, McNamara was named senior vp and gmm at May Merchandising Co. in St. Louis. He was named president and ceo of Famous-Barr in 1997, and in 1998 became president of May Merchandising Co.

Keck began his career with May Co. in 1986 as divisional vp and director of recruitment and placement for Famous-Barr in St. Louis. In 1987, he was named senior vp of human resources at May Centers, May’s former shopping center development division. In 1989, he was named senior vice president for human resources for the Meier & Frank division in Portland, Ore., and was named to a similar position in 1992 at Filene’s in Boston. In 1997, he became chairman of the Meier & Frank division, and in 2000 was selected to head the corporation’s human resources organization.