Brighter outlook from Macy’s, Kohl’s after sales bounce back

By ANNE D’iNNOCENZIO
AP Retail Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — A return, at least temporarily, to near normalcy is giving a boost two of America’s largest department stores hit by the pandemic last year. Macy’s and Kohl’s raised their outlooks for 2021 Thursday after easily beating Wall Street expectations for the second quarter. Americans are again buying dresses, luggage and other goods that fell to the bottom of the priority list year last year when the pandemic struck. Major retailers are rolling out quarterly earnings reports this week and the data has consistently pointed to a return to almost normal behavior for U.S. shoppers who had taken shelter over the past year.