Nordstrom opened their first Canadian store Friday in Chinook Centre, in Calgary, but they definitely didn't take the move lightly.
"We are certainly mindful of the competition here," Pete Nordstrom, president of merchandising for Nordstrom Inc.,
told WWD. "If we are going to compete, we've got to have a really good distribution. That's the stuff we are working on right now. Nothing is going to help us more than if we have success here in Calgary. Vendors want to go with retailers who are doing well. Harry Rosen and Holt Renfrew, they have great assortments, and Hudson's Bay is clearly trying to improve" by elevating its offerings.
This new store marks the Seattle-based Nordstrom's first unit opened outside the U.S. as well as it's 118th full-line store.
Canada has been experiencing a huge influx of U.S. retailers lately, some more successly than others. Target launched more than 100 stores but is struggling with pricing and customer acceptance. Saks Fifth Avenue is planning it's Toronto debut in the Fall of 2015 as well as seven full-line stores, hoping to win over the luxury consumers from Toronto-based Holt Renfrew. Holt is responding stepping up service and designer offerings and, opening its first men's-only store on Bloor Street in Toronto.
More U.S. names heading north are Saks Off 5th and Nordstrom Rack outlets, Wal-Mart, Ann Taylor, Loft, J. Crew, American Apparel, Marshalls, Tory Burch, Jimmy Choo, David Yurman and John Varvatos.
Nordstom added to WWD, "We're not looking to create some kind of Canadian Nordstrom. We want to operate the best Nordstrom we can," he said, adding that there are "a lot of commonalities" between what Nordstrom sells in Calgary and in the U.S. "We are coming in with all guns blazing, to give them the best Nordstrom offer we can. Ultimately, what you are competing against over time is peoples' habits. We are asking people to change their shopping habits, to do something different. That's not easy. You can't take that for granted. You've got to slug it out and earn it. We've got to go into this market as humbly as we can. For us to be successful, we've got to earn it."
Nordstrom has five more stores down the pipeline for Canada, in Ottawa's Rideau Centre in March 2015, Pacific Centre, in Vancouver, in September 2015, and three units in Toronto: Eaton Centre in fall 2016, Yorkdale Centre in fall 2016 and Sherway Gardens in spring 2017.
