Dive Brief:
- Amid its sales declines, Nordstrom announced plans to open Nordstrom Rack stores in Houston, Texas; Omaha, Nebraska; Noblesville, Indiana; and Franklin, Tennessee.
- The retailer plans to open these new locations in the fall of 2024. The stores range between 24,000 square feet and 34,000 square feet, per its press releases.
- While the retailer runs four Nordstrom Rack locations in Tennessee, three in Indiana and 23 in Texas, the Omaha location will be the first Nordstrom retailer of any kind in the state, the company said.
Dive Insight:
Nordstrom continues to push forward with a major expansion of its off-price business, despite its stumbles in the space.
Of the four locations Nordstrom Rack plans to open, the largest will be the 34,000-square-foot store in Houston within the Meyerland Plaza, placing it alongside major retailers like Target, J.C. Penney, Ross, Marshalls and Old Navy. With its eight Nordstrom and 23 Nordstrom Rack locations, the retailer said it has created more than 4,000 jobs across the state, per the company’s announcement.
Nordstrom Rack’s 30,000-square-foot Omaha location will be located within the Village Pointe shopping center, standing among other brands and retailers such as DSW, Lululemon and Best Buy. The off-price retailer will feature merchandise from various accessories, beauty, home and shoe brands for discounts of up to 70%, per the company press release.
“We look forward to being a part of the Omaha community and serving our customers with an amazing offering of great brands at great prices. We’re excited to grow our footprint in the region and introduce new customers to the Nordstrom experience,” Gemma Lionello, president of Nordstrom Rack Stores, said in a statement. At this location, “customers will be able to take advantage of our convenient services such as online order pick up from both Nordstrom.com and NordstromRack.com, and they can make returns easily.”
Nordstrom is growing its off-price business despite ongoing sales declines. In Q2, the retailer saw Rack’s net sales dip 4.1% year over year, though full-line net sales tumbled 10.1%. The slowdown continued into Q3 when Rack net sales fell 1.8% and full-line net sales fell 9.4%. Executives have said they plan to continue expanding Rack’s brick-and-mortar footprint, anticipating demand from budget-conscious consumers.
