“We saw white space in this more mature, meaning nonmillenial, Hispanic or Latina customer,” said Jeffrey Gennette, chief merchandising officer at Macy’s. “We were not addressing her as fully as we want to.”
The retailer plans to introduce the line of apparel, shoes and jewelry in 300 stores in spring 2015. “When you think about the metro markets in the United States, we see a play with this brand in every one of them,” Mr. Gennette said. A few categories of items will be specifically tailored for Latinas, including, the company said, a shorter inseam in many of the pants.
Hispanics make up nearly 17 percent of the United States population and are among the nation’s fastest-growing demographic groups, according to the Census Bureau, and its buying power is creeping skyward as well. All this has made the Latino consumer extremely attractive, courted with quite a bit of urgency by companies during a tough economic climate.
