Nordstrom Closing 16 Stores Permanently

SANTA MONICA, CA — Nordstrom closed all department stores and Nordstrom Rack outlet stores in March because of coronavirus. Now the retail giant has announced that 16 of the stores will be permanently shuttered.

The location of the stores has not been announced to the public, as employees are still being notified that their jobs have been eliminated.

The following locations in the Santa Monica, Brentwood and Culver City will remain opened, Nordstrom confirmed with Patch Friday.

• Nordstrom Santa Monica, 220 Broadway, Santa Monica
• Nordstrom Local Brentwood, 214 26th St., Santa Monica
• Nordstrom Rack Westfield Culver City, 6000 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City
• Nordstrom HQ , 8680 Hayden Pl, Culver City

The company said the closures are a result of both the coronavirus, and market trends pushing more shoppers online.

"We've been investing in our digital and physical capabilities to keep pace with rapidly changing customer expectations," said CEO Erik Nordstrom. "The impact of COVID-19 is only accelerating the importance of these capabilities in serving customers."

According to Nordstrom, more than half of their sales now come through their website.

In the announcement Wednesday, the company also touted a restructuring to their support roles and corporate organization, which they say will save about $150 million in expenses. The company said the move will allow for "greater speed and flexibility" but did not outline exactly how those roles will be affected.

Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale event has also been pushed back. The annual sale normally takes place in July. Company officials now say they're shifting the sale to August to account for stores that may remain closed through July.

Nordstrom closed all of their retail locations on March 17. The company has not yet said when any of their stores will reopen, but said they will be phased in on a market-by-market basis.

When stores do reopen, Nordstrom said they'll implement several new precautions to protect customers and employees from the coronavirus, including health screenings for employees, free face coverings for shoppers and employees, and limiting the number of visitors allowed in stores so they can maintain safe social distancing.

— Patch editors Charles Woodman and Ashley Ludwig contributed to this article.

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