NEW YORK — Macy’s Inc. said Monday it will open all of its namesake stores at midnight after Thanksgiving for the first time, becoming the latest retailer to extend hours on the traditional holiday-season kickoff.

The opening is four hours earlier than last year’s. The Macy’s stores, which number more than 800, including one at Westfield Franklin Park in Toledo, will stay open 23 hours straight and close at 11 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 25.

Target Corp. announced Friday that it will open its doors at midnight for the first time ever and will offer Black Friday specials starting at that time. It also plans to stay open 23 hours. Last year, the discounter had opened its stores at 4 a.m.

Andrea Schwartz, a spokesman for Macy’s in Chicago, said the retailer had coordinated with shopping centers and malls to plan the midnight opening. “We didn’t just plan this yesterday. We did have to go to the various properties and talk with them and get their clearance. But now we’re set,” she said.

A Franklin Park official said the inside mall entrance would remain closed and Macy’s would use its exterior entrances for the early opening.

Martine Reardon, Macy’s executive vice president of marketing, said the expanded hours were in response to customers’ requests.

Last year, Macy’s opened eight stores at midnight. The rest of the stores opened at 4 a.m.

Ms. Reardon said the midnight openings were successful.

Ms. Schwartz said the retailer plans to offer its “doorbuster” items at the midnight opening and will feature a $65 Justin Bieber limited-edition fragrance gift set, which includes a 3.4 ounce eau de parfum spray and the singer’s new holiday CD.

The Cincinnati company also operates 41 Bloomingdale’s stores, which will open at 8 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving. The stores typically open at 10 a.m. throughout the year.

Retailers have expanded their Black Friday hours each year, and they’re also trying to outdo each other by publicizing some of the deals weeks in advance. Only a few years ago, stores kept their discounts and hours secret until a few days before the Thanksgiving weekend.

The season kickoff stretched into Thanksgiving Day last year, when most Sears and Kmart stores opened Thanksgiving morning for the first time. Michael’s Crafts and Toys R Us stores opened Thanksgiving evening. And Wal-Mart Stores Inc., many of whose sites already operate around the clock, opened most other stores by midnight Thanksgiving evening.

More merchants are expected to announce Thanksgiving weekend plans soon.

First Published November 1, 2011, 4:15 a.m.