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Dive Brief:
Nordstrom is expanding its New York footprint with the June 26 opening of a Nordstrom Local in Brooklyn, according to a Monday press release.
Services in the 3,000-square-foot Williamsburg location include online order pickup, alterations, returns, gift wrapping and clothing donation.
Meanwhile, the department store recently obtained approval from the San Francisco Planning Commission to open a Nordstrom Local in the Pacific Heights neighborhood.
Dive Insight:
Nordstrom is getting ready to increase its Local presence.
In New York, the Brooklyn store will join Nordstrom Local locations in the West Village and Upper East Side to become the third spot in the city. Los Angeles also has three locations, and now the retailer has its eyes on launching the concept in San Francisco.
The merchandise-free hubs debuted in 2017 as a way to engage with customers in their neighborhoods. By 2019, additional locations were added with the company going as far as to say that the concepts were the future of the company. However, the retailer stalled on openings and in recent years began to focus on increasing the presence of its Nordstrom Rack stores.
As recently as 2023 the department store pulled back on its San Francisco presence by closing its downtown full-line and Rack store locations. In its announcement regarding the decision to close those stores, the company said that “the dynamics of the downtown San Francisco market have changed dramatically over the past several years, impacting customer foot traffic to our stores and our ability to operate successfully.”
However, when speaking to San Francisco’s planning commission regarding opening a location at 1919 Fillmore Street, Jacklyn Gamble, director of selling programs at Nordstrom, pointed to the neighborhood’s vibrant retail environment, strong foot traffic and proximity to public transit.
“This is a high concentration of digitally engaged, service-oriented customers in a retail-focused neighborhood, and that’s why we’ve selected the Fillmore location,” Gamble said. The retailer estimates that half of its customers who will come to that store will live within a 10- to 15-minute walk.
Additionally, between 30% to 40% of Nordstrom Local customers engage in multiple services, Gamble added, saying “they’re not just in and out customers.”
Nordstrom delisted from the New York Stock Exchange last month and will act as a private company following its $6.25 billion acquisition by the Nordstrom family and El Puerto de Liverpool. The Nordstroms retain a controlling stake.