Information AboutNordstrom |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT NORDSTROM | |
| department stores of the united states | |
| companies based in seattle, washington | |
| clothing retailers of the united states | |
| companies established in 1901 | |
Nordstrom, Inc. () is an upscale Department Store chain in the United States . Initially a shoe retailer, the company today also sells clothing, accessories, handbags, jewelry, cosmetics, fragrance, and home furnishings. It competes at the same price level as that of Bloomingdale's , Neiman Marcus , Saks Fifth Avenue , and Lord & Taylor . The corporate headquarters and the flagship store are located in Downtown Seattle , Washington . HISTORY Beginnings flagship) in downtown Seattle.]] Nordstrom was founded as a single shoe store in 1901 as Wallin & Nordstrom by John W. Nordstrom , a Swedish immigrant, and Carl Wallin , the owner of a Seattle shoe repair shop. Twenty-two years later, a second shoe store was opened. In 1928 , John W. Nordstrom retired and sold his shares to two of his sons, Everett and Elmer (according to the book ''The Nordstrom Way''). In 1929 , Wallin retired and sold his remaining shares to the two Nordstrom sons. Lloyd Nordstrom joined the company in 1933. Thirty-one years later, Nordstrom expanded to eight stores in two states but still only sold shoes. Apparel came with its purchase of Best Apparel of Seattle in 1963 . The company's name was changed to Nordstrom Best in 1969 . Two years later the company was taken public. (It currently trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol JWN.) In 1973 , "Best" was dropped from the company's name. In 1976, Nordstrom opened a series of stores called Place Two to sell a more limited selection of apparel in smaller markets. In 1983, there were ten Place Two stores, but by the end of 1994 there were only four stores, and the division was discontinued.Dow Jones News Services. "Nordstrom-Place Two -2-: To Close 3 Stores, Convert 1." 26 April 1994. Early expansion located in Orlando, Florida .]] The company has opened a ".com" fulfillment center in Cedar Rapids , Iowa . Currently, it has distribution centers in Ontario, California ; Portland , Oregon ; Dubuque , Iowa ; Annapolis , Maryland ; and Gainesville , Florida . In 1998 , Nordstrom replaced its downtown Seattle store with a new flagship location in the former Frederick & Nelson building across the street. At 383,000 square feet, the downtown Seattle location is the chain's largest store as of February 2007. By contrast, the smallest Nordstrom store (as of August 2007) opened in 1977 in Vancouver, Washington and has a total area of just under 72,000 square feet. The "Espresso Bar" from older stores have been discontinued and now introduced as the "eBar" with a new look and which offers a variety of quick-fix snacks, sandwiches, salads, fruit smoothies and an expanded 'hotbar' drink list. Smaller stores (mostly consisting of two-stories) have a concept called "in-House Cafe", which offers the same menu as the eBar but with a sit & dine area. Nordstrom has also developed four restaurant concepts, which can be found in select larger stores. Both the Classic Cafe and Marketplace Cafe are more casual and offer items such as sandwiches, soups, and salads. Cafe Bistro specializes in brick oven entrees, and the Nordstrom Grill offers both food and alcoholic beverages. Today Today, Nordstrom has chosen to grow both methodically and organically over the years, eschewing the growth-for-growth's sake acquisitions of other companies, expanding to Alaska in 1975, Southern California only in 1978, Northern California in 1982, the East Coast in 1988, the Midwest in 1991, Texas in 1996 and the Southeast in 1998. The company has generally preferred to build stores from the ground up when possible. Nordstrom has grown from one downtown Seattle shoe store into a nationwide fashion speciality chain with renowned services, generous size ranges and a selection of the finest apparel, shoes and accessories for the entire family. Currently, there are 101 full-line stores and 47 Nordstrom Rack stores in 27 different states. CUSTOMER SERVICE Nordstrom is well-known for its customer service, so much so that several Urban Legend s have appeared regarding the store. One of the best known legends is purported to have taken place at the Anchorage store soon after its 1975 purchase from Alaska Commercial Company . A customer, unaware that the store had changed hands, returned a set of tires. Although Nordstrom had never sold tires since opening, it was determined not to be the fault of the customer the store had changed hands, and the return was accepted. The urban legend watch website Snopes has not been able to confirm or deny the authenticity of the story. While the authenticity of that story is not confirmed, many Nordstrom customers will attest that Nordstrom will refund the purchase price of an item bought at another department store provided they carry the brand. Nordstrom Tire Return Here is the statement regarding Nordstrom's policy about finding a lower purchase price elsewhere, copied from the Nordstrom website: • We assure you'll never pay more. If you find the same item elsewhere for a lower price, we will gladly match it. Our Customer Service Specialists are ready to assist you, simply call 1-888-282-6060, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In other words, if a customer finds the identical item (including brand) elsewhere for a lower price, Nordstrom will refund the difference to its customer or will sell the item to the customer and beat the lower price by one dollar. EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK New employees are given a copy of the famous Nordstrom's Employee Handbook -- a single 5 x 8 inch gray card containing 75 words: Lessons of the Nordstrom Way , eCustomerServiceWorld.com
New hire orientations no longer provide this card, as the way Nordstrom operates has evolved. NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS
REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS |
|
|