Nordstrom Reports June Same-Store Sales Increase of 5.7 Percent

SEATTLE, July 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN) today reported preliminary sales of $707.4 million for the five-week period ending July 3, 2004, an increase of 8.5 percent compared to sales of $652.0 million for the five-week period ending July 5, 2003. Same-store sales increased 5.7 percent.

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

June same-store sales in full-line stores increased in all geographic regions and all major merchandise categories except women's active wear, kids' apparel and women's special sizes.

Preliminary quarter-to-date sales of $1.2 billion increased 9.8 percent compared to 2003 quarter-to-date sales of $1.1 billion. Quarter-to-date same-store sales increased 7.2 percent.

Preliminary year-to-date sales of $2.7 billion increased 13.5 percent compared to sales of $2.4 billion in 2003. Year-to-date same-store sales increased 10.5 percent.

Sales Recording

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

Future Reporting Dates

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

         July Sales Release           Thurs., August 5, 2004
         Second Quarter Earnings      Thurs., August 19, 2004
         August Sales Release         Thurs., Sept. 2, 2004
         September Sales Release      Thurs., Oct. 7, 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.

  SALES SUMMARY
   (unaudited; $ in millions)
                          June    June       QTD       QTD      YTD        YTD
                          2004    2003      2004      2003      2004      2003
  Total sales           $707.4  $652.0  $1,206.5  $1,098.8  $2,742.0  $2,416.2
  Total sales
   percentage change      8.5%    6.4%      9.8%      7.2%     13.5%      5.1%
  Same-store sales
   percentage change      5.7%    1.9%      7.2%      2.4%     10.5%      0.3%

  Number of stores (as of July 3, 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)                         Dollar  % Change  % Change
                             YTD 2003   YTD 2004  Increase     Total     Comp
                                                               Sales     Sales
      Number of Days GAAP        155         154
               GAAP Sales   $2,434.4    $2,742.0    $307.6     12.6%      9.6%
  Less Feb. 1, 2003 sales    ($18.2)        --
     Reported 4-5-4 sales   $2,416.2    $2,742.0    $325.8     13.5%     10.5%
      4-5-4 Adjusted Days        154         154


    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:
investors, Stephanie Allen,
+1-206-303-3262, or
media,
Deniz Anders,
+1-206-373-3038,
both for Nordstrom, Inc.