Group protests removal of Field's name

CHICAGO, May 24 (UPI) -- A group of die-hard fans of the Marshall Field's department store brand in Chicago are protesting its replacement by the Macy's name, a report said Saturday.

A "handful" of the protesters attended this week's Macy Inc.'s shareholders meeting in Cincinnati to bring their message directly to Macy CEO Terry Lundgren, the Chicago Tribune reported. Group members picketed the meeting hall and passed out literature criticizing Lundgren's move several years ago to rebrand the former Fields stores with Macy's nameplates.

Daniel Harcourt of Schaumberg, Ill., told the newspaper he bought one share of Macy Inc. stock for $28 to gain admittance to the meeting.

"I was tired of being ignored as a customer," he said. "For the cost of a pizza I was able to look (Lundren) in the eye and tell him I want my Marshall Field's. By ignoring the power of the Field's brand, he's really shortchanged the shareholders."

Harcourt, writing on his blog, described his meeting with Lundgren as a "sometimes heated" 10-minute session in which is group pressed him for sales figures for Macy's former Field's and Dayton's department stores in Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota. Harcourt quoted Lundgren as saying they were "among the most unprofitable" in the company.