Chairman of Macy’s West to Step Down

Macy’s West department stores said Tuesday that its leader of two years, Chairman and Chief Executive Jeremiah J. Sullivan, 63, will retire and be replaced by the company’s second in command.

Robert L. Mettler, 61, the company’s president and chief operating officer, will take over June 1 at Macy’s West, a division of Federated Department Stores Inc. that manages Macy’s stores in the Western U.S.

Sullivan, a 41-year veteran of the department store industry, took his first job with Federated 22 years ago as vice president for finance at San Francisco’s I. Magnin stores, a former Federated division.

Mettler, another longtime department store executive, worked for Sears, Roebuck & Co. before replacing Sullivan as Macy’s West president in January 2000, when Sullivan took over the top job.

Mettler, who also has worked for May Department Stores Co., will be replaced by Michael J. Osborn, 54, president and chief operating officer of Federated’s 55-store Florida division, Burdine’s.

Abigail Goldman