Macy's sues to stop Amazon from using billboard above its flagship store
CBSN
For 60 years, Macy's has displayed its name on a three-story tall billboard above its flagship location in Manhattan's Herald Square. But the famed department store recently had to take down the signage after failing to renew an advertising contract with its landlord. Now, it's is suing to prevent ecommerce rival Amazon from using the space.
In a lawsuit filed in New York State court last week against the Kaufman Organization, a commercial real estate firm, Macy's claims that a 1963 agreement bars other retailers from advertising on the billboard. The store would suffer "incalculable damage" if Amazon were to advertise on the billboard, the complaint reads.
"[J]ust imagine Pepsi on a Coca-Cola building or Mercedes advertising on the building of a BMW dealership," Benjamin Brotzman, a principal in Macy's retail group, said in the court filings. "Akin to a conquering enemy, it would be as if a competitor hung its 'flag' on top of Macy's flagship department store and announced victory."
