Nordstrom Announces Plans to Open at Irvine Spectrum Center

SEATTLE, Sept. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Seattle-based Nordstrom Inc., a leading fashion specialty retailer, announced it has signed a lease agreement with The Irvine Company to open a new store at Irvine Spectrum Center in Irvine, Calif. The store will be approximately 125,000 square feet and is tentatively scheduled to open in fall 2005. Nordstrom at Irvine Spectrum Center will be the retailer's fifth full-line store in Orange County, and its 19th full-line store in Southern California.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001011/NORDLOGO )

"We've had the privilege of serving our customers in Orange County for almost 25 years and look forward to expanding our presence here," said Julie Kuns, Nordstrom vice president and Orange County general manager. "Irvine Spectrum Center is an exciting shopping destination and provides us the right opportunity to serve our customers with a new store."

Nordstrom opened its first store in California at South Coast Plaza in 1978. The retailer has expanded its presence in the state to include 28 full- line stores and 17 Nordstrom Rack stores, the company's off-price division.

Irvine Spectrum Center first opened in 1995 and has grown to 832,000 square feet of specialty stores, restaurants and entertainment, including one of the country's largest movie theatres. The expansion will include two new parking structures, one of them adjacent to Nordstrom.

"We are delighted with today's announcement by Nordstrom," said Keith Eyrich, president of The Irvine Company Retail Properties. "The addition of Nordstrom is just another reason that Irvine Spectrum Center is one of the most appealing fashion destinations in the region."

Nordstrom offers an extensive selection of shoes, clothing and accessories for men, women and children. The retailer has long been committed to carrying a wide range of sizes and styles in both career and casual apparel. Nordstrom carries a broad offering of nationally recognized brands including lines exclusive to Nordstrom.

Nordstrom, Inc. is one of the nation's leading fashion specialty retailers, with 146 US stores located in 27 states. Founded in 1901 as a shoe store in Seattle, today Nordstrom operates 90 full-line stores, 49 Nordstrom Racks, five Faconnable boutiques, one free-standing shoe store, and one clearance store. Nordstrom also operates 24 international Faconnable boutiques, primarily in Europe. Additionally, Nordstrom serves customers through its online presence at http://www.nordstrom.com and through its direct mail catalogs. Nordstrom, Inc. is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol JWN.

CONTACT: Deniz Anders of Nordstrom, +1-206-373-3034; or Jennifer Hieger of The Irvine Company, +1-949-720-2681.

SOURCE  Nordstrom, Inc.
    -0-                             09/03/2003
    /CONTACT:  Deniz Anders of Nordstrom, +1-206-373-3034; or Jennifer Hieger
of The Irvine Company, +1-949-720-2681/
    /Photo:  NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001011/NORDLOGO
                  AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
                  PRN Photo Desk, 1-888-776-6555 or +1-212-782-2840/
    /Web site:  http://www.nordstrom.com /
    (JWN)

CO:  Nordstrom, Inc.; Irvine Company Retail Properties
ST:  California, Washington
IN:  REA TEX FAS RLT
SU:  RLE



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5773 09/03/2003 13:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com