Meeting the Nordstrom challenge

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – Soon, you won’t have to cross the border to shop at Nordstrom.

The Seattle-based retailer is expected to announce plans to open a series of Canadian stores, including one rumoured for Downtown Vancouver. The announcement, set for tomorrow in Toronto, is expected to raise the stakes in a big way for Canadian retail.

One expert feels Nordstrom’s arrival will be a game changer.

“They are a really world class retailer,” says David Ian Gray with DIG360 Consulting. “There will be an instant bout of attention and a run on the store and I think it will bring the game of retailers up a notch.”

Nordstrom is rumoured to be taking over the lease of the Sears location at Pacific Centre.

Gray says you can already see signs of other stores answering the Nordstrom challenge. The Bay has been moving towards attracting higher-end customers in its urban locations. But it’s Holt Renfrew that really has to be concerned; Nordstrom occupies a similar place in the US market.

Gray feels Canada is ripe for even more expansion by more retailers. “Our economy has been good. We have a pretty solid middle class of shoppers and as chains start to look for new ways to grow, Canada is on their radar.”

He tells us Neiman Marcus could come north one day, while Japanese chain Uniqlo could also make the jump to our shores in the next few years.

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