Macy's has filed a lawsuit against the company that owns the giant billboard next to its flagship Manhattan store, fighting to prevent Amazon from taking over the advertising space that carried Macy's name for almost 60 years.

In the lawsuit, filed last week in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, the department store retailer said there has been a restrictive covenant in place since 1963 barring the billboard space from being used by any Macy's competitor.

But Macy's said that when it tried to negotiate a lease renewal this year, the billboard's owners, the Kaufman Organization, told them they were in discussions with a “prominent online retailer," and there was “little doubt" that meant Amazon, according to the lawsuit.

Messages were left with the Kaufman Organization seeking comment. Amazon had no comment.

In the lawsuit, Macy's asked the judge for an injunction that would keep Kaufman from leasing the space to Amazon or any other competitor.

“The damages to Macy’s customer goodwill, image, reputation and brand, should a ‘prominent online retailer’ (especially, Amazon) advertise on the billboard are impossible to calculate," the company said in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit pointed out that the billboard is highly visible in its annual Thanksgiving Day parade, which is nationally televised.

Share:
More In Business
Orange Juice Prices on the Rise
Prices for wholesale orange juice rose to the highest point on Tuesday due to low inventory and harvesting issues in the U.S.
Stretching Your Dollar: What Thanksgiving Food Prices Could Look Like
As the holiday season nears and with families making plans for Thanksgiving at the end of the month, concerns about high food prices linger. Dr. Michael Swanson, chief agricultural economist with Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute, joined Cheddar News to provide tips on what to expect when shopping for those large family meals.
Load More