Nordstrom July Same-Store Sales Increase 6.1 Percent

SEATTLE, Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN) today reported preliminary sales of $746.9 million for the four-week period ending July 31, 2004, an increase of 8.9 percent compared to sales of $686.0 million for the four-week period ending August 2, 2003. Same-store sales increased 6.1 percent.

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

July same-store sales in full-line stores increased in all geographic regions and all major merchandise categories.

Preliminary quarter-to-date sales of $2.0 billion increased 9.4 percent compared to 2003 quarter-to-date sales of $1.8 billion. Quarter-to-date same-store sales increased 6.8 percent.

Preliminary year-to-date sales of $3.5 billion increased 12.5 percent compared to sales of $3.1 billion in 2003. Year-to-date same-store sales increased 9.5 percent.

SALES RECORDING

To hear Nordstrom's prerecorded July sales message, please dial 402-220-6036. This recording will be available for one week.

    SALES SUMMARY
     (unaudited;            July    July     QTD       QTD     YTD      YTD
     $ in millions)         2004    2003     2004      2003    2004     2003

    Total sales           $746.9  $686.0  $1,953.5  $1,784.8 $3,489.0 $3,102.1
    Total sales percentage
     change                  8.9%    8.8%     9.4%     7.8%    12.5%    5.9%
    Same-store sales
     percentage change       6.1%    6.0%     6.8%     3.8%     9.5%    1.5%

    Number of stores
     (as of July 31, 2004)
      Full-line               93      89
      Rack and other          56      54
      International
       Faconnable
       boutiques              31      31
      Total                  180     174

    Gross square
     footage      19,289,000 18,629,000

    GAAP SALES PERFORMANCE

The additional information provided in this section is to comply with the Securities and Exchange Commission's Regulation G. The Company converted to a 4-5-4 Retail Calendar at the beginning of 2003. Year-to-date results for 2003 include one more day than the year-to-date for 2004. The Company believes that adjusting for this difference provides a more comparable basis from which to evaluate sales performance. The following reconciliation bridges the year-to-date 2003 GAAP sales to the 4-5-4 comparable sales.

    Sales Reconciliation ($M)                           % Change  % Change
                              YTD        YTD     Dollar    Total     Comp
                              2003       2004   Increase   Sales     Sales

    Number of Days GAAP        183       182
    GAAP Sales              $3,120.3  $3,489.0   $368.7    11.8%      8.8%
    Less Feb. 1, 2003
     sales                    ($18.2)     --
    Reported 4-5-4
     sales                  $3,102.1  $3,489.0   $386.9    12.5%      9.5%
    4-5-4 Adjusted Days        182       182

    FUTURE REPORTING DATES

Nordstrom's financial release calendar for the next several months is provided in the table below.

         Second Quarter Earnings       Thurs., Aug. 19, 2004
         August Sales Release          Thurs., Sept. 2, 2004
         September Sales Release       Thurs., Oct. 7, 2004
         October Sales Release         Thurs., Nov. 4, 2004

Nordstrom, Inc. is one of the nation's leading fashion specialty retailers, with 149 US stores located in 27 states. Founded in 1901 as a shoe store in Seattle, today Nordstrom operates 93 full-line stores, 49 Nordstrom Racks, five Faconnable boutiques, one free-standing shoe store, and one clearance store. Nordstrom also operates 31 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.

    Investor Contact:
     Stephanie Allen, 206-303-3262
    Media Contact:
     Deniz Anders, 206-373-3038

Certain statements in this news release might contain "forward-looking" information (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) that involves risks and uncertainties, including anticipated results, store openings and distribution channels, planned capital expenditures, and trends in company operations. Actual future results and trends may differ materially from historical results or current expectations depending upon factors including, but not limited to, the company's ability to predict fashion trends, consumer apparel buying patterns, the company's ability to control costs, weather conditions, hazards of nature such as earthquakes and floods, trends in personal bankruptcies and bad debt write-offs, changes in interest rates, employee relations, the company's ability to continue its expansion plans, and the impact of economic and competitive market forces, including the impact of terrorist activity or the impact of a war on the company, its customers and the retail industry. Our SEC reports may contain other information on these and other factors that could affect our financial results and cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking information we may provide.

SOURCE Nordstrom, Inc.

CONTACT:
Investor Contact, Stephanie Allen,
+1-206-303-3262, or
Media Contact, Deniz Anders,
+1-206-373-3038,
both for Nordstrom, Inc.