Macy’s stores reopen in Tampa Bay. But the store at Mall at UTC remains closed for now

Macy’s reopened its Tampa Bay area stores Monday, with the notable exception of the one closest to the Bradenton area.

The Macy’s at the Mall at University Town Center is not included on the reopening list.

Asked about the omission, a Macy’s spokeswoman said, “We are unable to share any further information on store locations at this time.”

However, a representative of the Mall at UTC said the Macy’s store there could possibly reopen in the next two weeks.

The Mall at UTC began reopening May 6 after being closed for about 47 days because of the threat of COVID-19. About one-third of the stores were open to welcome customers again. Anchor store Dillards was among those reopening.

Macy’s closed its DeSoto Square mall store in 2014 and opened that same year in the the Mall at University Town Center.

Last week, mall general manager Jose A. Ayala said he expected that about half the 135 stores in the 880,000-square-foot mall would be reopening by last weekend as stores cautiously started doing business again during the era of the coronavirus pandemic.

Following Centers for Disease Control, state and local guidance, select Macy’s stores, including Countryside, Sarasota Southgate, and Winter Haven, opened to the public from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., offering contact-free curbside pick-up, the Macy’s press release said.

“We are ready to welcome our customers back to Macy’s stores in the Greater Tampa Bay area community,” said Marc Mastronardi, chief stores officer at Macy’s.

“We’re introducing new precautions to keep your family and ours safe and are now offering curbside pick-up to make getting what you want quick and easy. Our teams have come together and supported each other and our communities throughout this challenging time, and we look forward to safely serving our customers whenever they are ready to shop,” Mastronardi said.

Tampa Bay Macy’s reopening on Monday included those in Brandon Town Center, Citrus Park, Countryside, Sarasota Southgate, Tyrone Square, West Shore Plaza, and Winter Haven.

In-store shopping was also available at Macy’s Countryside Furniture and Macy’s Gandy Furniture.

Items bought for Store Pick-Up on macys.com or the Macy’s mobile app will be eligible for free curbside pick-up Monday through Friday between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Customers with additional questions about Macy’s response to COVID-19 can visit macys.com/social/COVID-19.