A BELOVED department store chain is officially axing two stores in a major blow to American consumers.
As Nordstrom shuts down the two spots, shoppers can take advantage of sales before the retail destinations are gone for good.
Two Nordstrom stores are in the process of shutting down shop[/caption]
Nordstrom is an American luxury department store chain with hundreds of locations[/caption]
Founded in 1901 as a shoe store, Nordstrom has since grown into a major luxury department store chain known for its vast array of apparel, shoes, accessories, and homeware.
The American company operates over 350 Nordstrom, Nordstrom Local, and Nordstrom Rack locations across the country, recently revealing that two spots would turn off their lights before this month’s end.
The Nordstrom store at the Saint Louis Galleria in St. Louis, Missouri, will close on Sunday, August 24, while the location in Santa Monica Place in Santa Monica, California, will shut down shortly after on Tuesday, August 26, a Nordstrom spokesperson confirmed to The U.S. Sun.
“We believe we’ll be best able to serve customers in each region by leveraging our surrounding stores and through our digital channels,” said the spokesperson.
“Decisions like this are never easy, and we understand the impact they have on our team members. We’re committed to taking care of our employees through this transition, including supporting those who are interested in finding another role within Nordstrom.”
SAINT LOUIS GALLERIA
The Nordstrom at the Saint Louis Galleria store will shut down after the end of its lease, as renewing the lease would be unprofitable, a spokesperson told local Fox affiliate KTVI.
A Dick’s Sporting Goods store will be replacing the location, according to a Reddit thread.
Many shoppers expressed fear that the retailer’s shutdown would be a “death blow” for the Saint Louis Galleria.
“That’s a huge anchor store in a mall that is already struggling to maintain occupancy. I also can’t think of any companies currently expanding their brick and mortar business that require that big of a store,” said one Redditor.
The St. Louis location will not be hosting additional closure sales but rather transferring its remaining inventory to other Nordstrom locations, a company spokesperson told The U.S. Sun.
However, the store will host liquidation sales for its fixtures in September, they said, and any current sales on apparel still stand.
SANTA MONICA PLACE
Over in Santa Monica, the Nordstrom will close after nearly 15 years, with no replacement announced yet.
The store is located in Santa Monica Place, the capstone mall of the Third Street Promenade shopping district, an area that has taken a major hit since the pandemic.
Shoppers were not shocked to hear of the location’s impending closure, with one Redditor calling the Santa Monica Nordstrom “probably the worst Nordstrom ever.”
US braces for ‘45,000 store closures’
Some 45,000 bricks-and-mortar stores could close in the next five years, experts have warned.
Several major retailers have announced store closures or gone out of business altogether in recent years.
In 2023, chains such as Foot Locker announced plans to close up to 400 outlets by 2026.
While, other well-known retailers like Tuesday Morning and Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams filed for bankruptcy in 2023.
Bed Bath & Beyond has closed all of its brick-and-mortar stores and is now an online-only retailer.
The most affected retailers have been clothing, consumer electronics, sporting goods, hobby, book, music, and home furnishing stores since the start of 2019.
UBS has predicted the total number of retail stores will drop by 45k from 958k to 913k.
Despite that, the report says that certain stores should thrive while others decline.
It said retailers such as Walmart, Costco, Home Depot, and Target, could be among the winners.
They noted that while the location was “decent” when it first opened, the store stopped carrying premium designer items reportedly due to theft, and the Nordstrom “just became like a Macy’s.”
Other customers pointed out that the overall downfall of Santa Monica Place likely played a part in Nordstrom’s closure.
“Not surprised. It was a ghost town when I was last there, and understocked. I tried to buy some clothes and couldn’t find anything suitable besides socks and underwear,” said one user.
Another shopper said that the impending shutdown was “a wrap on the mall, period.”
The U.S. Sun reached out to the Santa Monica Nordstrom regarding potential sales but did not hear back yet.
Although Nordstrom is axing two spots in the coming days, it’s not all bad news – the retailer has confirmed plans to open new locations in 2026.
Plus, a beloved discount chain “better than Walmart” is opening eight new stores – see the exact dates and locations to look out for.
A Nordstrom in St. Louis, Missouri, and another in Santa Monica, California, are shutting down for good before the end of August[/caption]
