Macy’s best-in-class retail development program for underrepresented brands enhances programming with new classes, a digital pop-up shop, business grants for participants and more

Through Macy’s, Inc.’s social purpose platform, Mission Every One, Macy’s has committed $250,000 annually in business grants to The Workshop at Macy’s program

The Workshop at Macy’s, the retail industry’s longest running retail development program for underrepresented brands, provides up-and-coming businesses with the tools, knowledge and access to resources to drive their enterprises to the next level, achieve business objectives and sustain growth. Designed by a consortium of experts from Macy’s and Babson College, the nation’s leading business school for entrepreneurship, the business development curriculum is created for diverse and women-owned retail businesses poised to succeed on a larger level. Since 2011, The Workshop at Macy’s has helped support and grow more than 175 small businesses.

“This year, The Workshop at Macy’s returns with several enhancements to continue evolving the program as a business accelerator for the participants,” said Michelle Wang – Macy’s vice president of retail diversity strategy. “The enhancements, including business grants, will help accelerate the participants’ success, and better support growth opportunities for these underrepresented businesses.”

Enhancements to The Workshop at Macy’s

This year, The Workshop at Macy’s returns with 25 new entrepreneurs and a five-week program, taking place virtually and in-person in New York City, from April 25 – May 27, 2022. To further strengthen the program, The Workshop at Macy’s will introduce exciting enhancements, including new classes, Strategic Sourcing and Pitching for Funding, to improve the Supply Chain and Financial Management curriculum.

From May 2 - 28, The Workshop at Macy’s Digital Pop-up Shop will launch on macys.com providing the participants with the unique opportunity to sell their products on macys.com, further fueling business growth. In addition, the participants and their brands will be featured on macys.com live shopping episodes on May 12 and May 19.

The Workshop at Macy’s will also introduce a Vendor Pitch Competition for participants to present their product, business opportunity and funding proposal. The competition winner will receive a $100,000 business grant; a partnership with Macy’s sourcing team; buy now, pay later services from Klarna and marketing support from Spark Foundry, among other prizes. Additionally, upon completion of the five-week program, every participant will receive a $5,000 business grant.

The Workshop at Macy’s Brands

The 2022 class features 25 brands across a variety of retail categories including beauty, home, accessories, womenswear, menswear and more. Brands featured in this year’s class include:

In the 11 years since its inception, several alumni of The Workshop at Macy’s successfully launched product lines in select Macy's stores and on macys.com. With the knowledge, resources, tools and real-world practice provided from The Workshop at Macy’s program, brands have had the access needed to drive their businesses to the next level. Most recently, The Workshop at Macy’s alumni Matthew Harris collaborated with Macy’s exclusive brand to launch MATEO for I.N.C International Concepts. His collection is part of Macy’s Icons of Style, a collaboration with Black visionaries to help move the fashion world forward.

As part of the company’s social purpose platform, Mission Every One, Macy’s, Inc. is increasing its investment in underrepresented designers, brands and business partners, products, and service providers to amplify diverse voices, create more choices and expand opportunities for colleagues, partners, and communities. A portion of the company’s overall $5 billion commitment, scaling through 2025, will support retail and non-retail diverse-owned businesses and investments in diverse retail development programs, including The Workshop at Macy’s. Through Mission Every One, Macy’s has committed $250,000 annually in business grants to The Workshop at Macy’s program.

For more information on The Workshop at Macy’s, visit TheWorkshopatMacys.com. To shop The Workshop at Macy’s digital pop-up shop from May 2 - 28, visit macys.com/theworkshopatmacys. Follow the conversation using #workshopatmacys.

About The Workshop at Macy’s

The Workshop at Macy’s is an exclusive retail-vendor accelerator program designed to give select high potential diverse, LGBTQ, veteran and women-owned businesses the tools to better succeed and sustain growth in the retail industry. The Workshop at Macy’s was launched in 2011 to foster growth in underrepresented merchandise suppliers. Conducted annually, this free program is a foundational element of Macy’s commitment to supplier diversity. With more than 175 graduated vendors including Alex Woo, Urban Hydration, Verona Collection, Twelve NYC, Mateo New York, Fe Noel, Foot Nanny and Eleven60, The Workshop at Macy’s continues to create a viable pipeline of enterprises that will grow to become successful partners with Macy’s, Inc. and other retailers.

About Macy’s

Macy’s, the largest retail brand of Macy’s, Inc. (NYSE: M) serves as the style source for generations of customers. With one of the nation’s largest e-commerce platforms powered by macys.com and mobile app, paired with a nationwide network of stores, Macy’s delivers the most convenient and seamless shopping experience, offering great values in apparel, home, beauty, accessories and more. Macy’s gives customers even more ways to shop and own their style through an off-price assortment at Macy’s Backstage and at our highly curated and smaller store format, Market by Macy’s. Each year, Macy’s provides millions with unforgettable experiences through Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks® and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® and helps our customers celebrate special moments, big and small. We’re guided by our purpose – to create a brighter future with bold representation that empowers more voice, choice and ownership for our colleagues, customers, and communities.

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