The Workshop at Macy’s Ushers in 25 Business Owners to 2023 Class
This month Macy’s will welcome 25 business owners to the 2023 class of The Workshop at Macy’s, the retail industry’s longest-running retail accelerator program dedicated to driving growth and providing opportunity to diverse and women-owned retail businesses.
The 2023 class will have an opportunity to access Macy’s supplier ecosystem, education and funding resources, new customers through a pop-up shop on macys.com and $250,000 in business grants.
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Throughout the month Workshop participants will be given firsthand experience selling their products at scale with a special digital pop-up shop on macy.com. In addition, following The Workshop graduation, participants will be introduced to Macy’s buyers and digital marketplace teams for the opportunity to onboard as vendors across Macy’s retail ecosystem.
All participants will also have an opportunity to enter a pitch competition, from which the winning brand will receive a $100,000 business grant, a partnership with Macy’s sourcing team, and other prizes. All participating businesses will receive a $5,000 business grant upon completion of the program.
As part of Macy’s social purpose platform, Mission Every One, The Workshop at Macy’s is a key part of the retailer’s commitment to empower underrepresented entrepreneurs. Throughout the month, participants will be immersed in a business development program focusing on building brand identity, financial management, assortment planning, perfecting the pitch and securing growth capital, among other topics.
“For more than a decade, The Workshop at Macy’s has represented our ongoing commitment to amplify and uplift underrepresented businesses by providing entrepreneurs with a best-in-class development program,” said Michelle Wang, Macy’s vice president, retail diversity strategy. “Through Mission Every One, Macy’s is dedicated to reinventing and reimagining representation in retail by providing participants with the tools and resources to excel, and I’m thrilled for this year’s businesses to experience growth, continue to develop, and create meaningful connection through The Workshop at Macy’s.”
Brands will also be introduced to S.P.U.R. Pathways: Shared Purpose, Unlimited Reach, a multiyear, multifaceted funding program to advance entrepreneurial growth, close wealth gaps and break down systemic barriers faced by diverse-owned and underrepresented businesses. Launched in late 2022, S.P.U.R. Pathways offers underrepresented businesses access to critical funding, as well as education resources, building a strong supplier ecosystem and helping drive growth, including offering loans for working capital and commercial real estate, and growth equity, all designed to meet the needs of diverse-owned and underrepresented businesses at various stages of growth. Through the Workshop’s programming, brands will have an opportunity to meet capital markets professionals, learn about products and apply to the program.
The Workshop at Macy’s is led and designed by a consortium of experts from Macy’s; Babson College in Wellesley Massachusetts; Google, and Meta, among others. Since 2011 The Workshop at Macy’s has helped to develop more than 195 diverse-owned businesses, including Fe Noel, Alex Woo, Verona Collection, Foot Nanny and Twelve NYC.
The 25 companies that will participate this year are, in apparel: Besidea, Carlton Jones, Goddess Rising Intimates, Kahindo, Monzlapur, Moxie Fitness Apparel; ObserveMe, and Tony by Tony; in beauty: Bea’s Bayou Skincare, Cardon, DefineMe, Ivyees, Maple Organics, TOA Waters; in Center Core: B.c.e. Custom Shoes, Ms. Jetsetter, Po Campo, The Standard Shoes, and Twelve AM, and in home: Aya & Pete, DomoINK, Rochelle Porter, Surprise Powerz and Wax Buffalo, and kids: Nola Tawk.
Applicants to The Workshop must be a woman, or a veteran, or LGBTQ, or of Black, Hispanic, Native American, Asian Indian or Asian Pacific descent. The candidate must also be the majority owner or co-owner of an established U.S.-based business that has produced goods for resale in a department store environment for at least two consecutive years. In addition, Macy’s seeks leaders who own a business with growth potential and can think critically about their business. Hundreds of applicants apply annually. Macy’s executives and course leaders from The Workshop select the class.
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