October 6, 2010

Nordstrom "Rack" opening at Lakewood Center Mall October 14, 2010.

The Nordstrom "Rack" looks like it will be opening at Lakewood Center Mall October 14, 2010. Again LAAG does not give the city council any credit for this, but rather the credit goes to Macerich who operates the mall and Nordstrom which looks like it is now targeting "downscale" shoppers in Lakewood and a few other cities. Meanwhile Cerritos gets the "top shelf" Nordstrom redux in May 2010 (see story below). Once again upstaging Lakewood. The only thing we can say is that a few more sales tax dollars might come Lakewood's way now. "Lakewood stimulus"... Oh goodie. Maybe Lakewood city council can pay the "newly found money" into the LASD slush fund. Oh and finally don't bother going over to the city of Lakewood website for this info. You won't find it as of our post date. Once again Lakewood drops the ball on an announcement that really might mean something.

California store openings

Lakewood, CA - Lakewood Center (Nordstrom Rack)
Opening Date: October 14, 2010


Burbank, CA - Burbank Empire Center (Nordstrom Rack)
Opening Date: October 21, 2010

Fremont, CA - Pacific Commons Shopping Center (Nordstrom Rack)
Opening Date: Spring 2011

Upland, CA - Colonies Crossroads (Nordstrom Rack)
Opening Date: Fall 2011

Redondo Beach, CA - South Bay Center (Nordstrom Rack)
Opening Date: Fall 2011

West Covina, CA - West Covina Mall (Nordstrom Rack)
Opening Date: Fall 2011

New Cerritos Nordstrom will open Friday
By Kelly Puente, Staff Writer
Posted: 05/04/2010 06:39:45 PM PDT

CERRITOS - The city of Cerritos will celebrate a milestone Friday with the grand opening of a new Nordstrom and six new shops in Los Cerritos Center.

The roughly $90 million expansion project, a partnership between the city, Nordstrom and Macerich Co., has been five years in the making. The mall at the San Gabriel (605) Freeway and South Street will now feature a 138,000-square-foot Nordstrom and a 36,500-square-foot wing with M·A·C Cosmetics, True Religion Brand Jeans, Carlton Hair International, Vision Shoes, Foreign Exchange clothing and Love Culture clothing.

Opening day kicks off at 8a.m. Friday with a "Beauty Bash" complete with complimentary makeup consultations, a preview of new products and tips from beauty advisers.

Doors officially open at 10a.m.

Employees were scurrying through the department store on Tuesday, organizing spring sandals, hanging up the latest trends in clothing and stocking cosmetics counters in preparation for opening day. All the merchandise in the mall's old Nordstrom will be moved to the new store overnight tonight.

Plans are still in the works for the space in the old Nordstrom. Built in 1981, it was the third of its kind in California.

While some retailers like Robinsons-May and Mervyns have shuttered, others in Los Cerritos Center seem to be thriving.

In January, retail giant Forever 21 opened a two-story 85,000-square-foot flagship store in the former Mervyns site.

And like Forever 21, Nordstrom continues to grow. Last year, the company saw $441million in net earnings, a nearly 10 percent increase from the previous year. The company reported overall retail sales of $8.26 billion for 2009.

Not bad for what started as a small shoe shop in Seattle founded by Swedish immigrant John Nordstrom in 1901.

"It literally reads like an American success story," said his great-grandson Pete Nordstrom, president of merchandising, in a phone interview. "I think he'd be shocked at what it is today."

Pete Nordstrom says the company has stayed successful over the years because it knows what its customers want.

"We've been able to pay close attention to our customers and evolve with their changing dynamic," he said. "We have a broad range of prices, and as price becomes more of a factor with the economy, we've been able to adjust without becoming a highly promotional store."

Despite the economic recession, plans for a new store in Los Cerritos Center never fell off track, Pete Nordstrom said.


"We've been doing business in Cerritos for a long time," he said.


The mall generates about $2.7 million in annual sales tax revenue and about $3.1 million in property tax for the city. The expansion project is expected to generate an additional $360,000 in annual sales tax and another $1.1 million in property tax.

In addition to the day's festivities, at 7 p.m. the mall will unveil its newest art piece, a 20-foot-high stainless steel sculpture of a shopping bag. And on May 13 from 7 p.m. to 9p.m., M·A·C Cosmetics will hold a grand opening party with cocktails, appetizers and models displaying makeup.

kelly.puente@presstelegram.com, 562-499-1305


Lakewood Accountability Action Group™ LAAG | www.LAAG.us | Lakewood, CA A California Non Profit Association | Demanding action and accountability from local government™ click here to receive LAAG posts by email

No comments: