
2.	Impairments, Store Closing and Other Costs

Impairments, store closing and other costs consist of the following:



	2016		2015		2014
	(millions)
Asset Impairments	$	265	$	148	$	33
Severance	168		123		46
Other	46		17		8
	$	479	$	288	$	87

During January 2017, the Company announced a series of actions to streamline its store portfolio, intensify cost efficiency efforts and execute its real estate strategy. These actions are intended to support the Company's strategy to further invest in omnichannel capabilities, improve customer experience and create shareholder value. These actions include the announced closure of sixty-eight Macy's stores and the reorganization of the field structure that supports the remaining stores and a significant restructuring of the Company's operations to focus resources on strategic priorities, improve organizational agility and reduce expense.

During January 2016, the Company announced a series of cost-efficiency and process improvement measures, including organization changes that combine certain region and district organizations of the My Macy's store management structure, adjusting staffing levels in each Macy's and Bloomingdale's store, implementing a voluntary separation opportunity for certain senior executives in stores, office and support functions who meet certain age and service requirements, reducing additional positions in back-office organizations, consolidating the four existing Macy's, Inc. credit and customer service center facilities into three, and decreasing non-payroll budgets company-wide.

During January 2015, the Company announced a series of initiatives to evolve its business model and invest in continued growth opportunities, including a restructuring of merchandising and marketing functions at Macy's and Bloomingdale's consistent with the Company's omnichannel approach to retailing, as well as a series of adjustments to its field and store operations to increase productivity and efficiency.

During January 2017, the Company announced the closure of sixty-eight Macy's stores, part of the approximately 100 planned closings announced in August 2016; during January 2016, the Company announced the closure of forty Macy's stores; and during January 2015, the Company announced the closure of fourteen Macy’s stores.

In connection with these announcements and the plans to dispose of these locations, the Company incurred severance and other human resource-related costs and other costs related to obligations and other store liabilities.

As a result of the Company’s projected undiscounted future cash flows related to certain store locations and other assets being less than their carrying value, the Company recorded impairment charges, including properties that were the subject of announced store closings. The fair values of these assets were calculated based on the projected cash flows and an estimated risk-adjusted rate of return that would be used by market participants in valuing these assets or based on prices of similar assets.

The Company expects to pay out the majority of the 2016 accrued severance costs, which are included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, prior to July 29, 2017. The 2015 and 2014 accrued severance costs, which were included in accounts payable and accrued liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheets, were paid out in the year subsequent to incurring such severance costs.