Fashion news
Fort Worth-area luxury department store closes for good amid COVID-19
In the latest post-COVID comeback attempt, Nordstrom will begin to reopen stores across Texas on Tuesday, May 12 — but sadly, one will close for good. And that one is at North East Mall in Hurst.
The Seattle-based retailer confirmed May 11 that North East Nordstrom would be one of 16 stores across the country to close permanently amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"Because of the impacts COVID-19 has had on our business, we need to take a critical look at the physical footprint of our stores to determine which we will continue to operate," the company says in a statement. "To respond to the impacts of COVID-19 and ensure we’re able to continue serving customers well into the future, we will be closing 16 of our fleet of full-line stores, including Nordstrom North East Mall. We selected these 16 stores based on a variety of factors, including the unique needs of the market, the current state of our business and real estate agreements."
The company says it will take care of employees as best it can, including providing support and resources through their transition.
The Nordstrom closure is a gut punch for Tarrant County shoppers who savored their swoon-worthy shoe department and flocked there for their famous sales.
In better news, though not total consolation, nine Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack locations across Dallas-Fort Worth will reopen May 12, including Rack stores in Southlake and Arlington.
"We are excited to bring our employees back to work and look forward to welcoming customers in our doors so we can continue serving them in our stores," the company says in a release.
All nine DFW stores opening their doors again are:
- Southlake Rack, Southlake
- Parks at Arlington Rack, Arlington
- Galleria Dallas, Dallas
- NorthPark, Dallas
- Gallery on the Parkway RK, Dallas
- Parklane Rack, Dallas
- Stonebriar Mall, Frisco
- Preston Ridge Rack, Frisco
- Preston Shepard Place Rack, Plano
A full list of reopened Nordstrom stores in Texas and around the country can be found here.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott allowed retail stores and malls to be open at 25 percent capacity on May 1. Since then, DFW's largest shopping centers, malls, and department stores like Macy's and JCPenney have gradually started to reopen. Meanwhile, Dallas-based Neiman Marcus — a Nordstrom competitor for luxury shoppers — has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will keep stores closed through the end of May.
North East Mall is a Simon property and reopened to the public on May 1.
Nordstrom is making updates to stores to help keep employees and customers healthy, they say. Those include:
- Conducting health screenings for employees.
- Providing face coverings for employees and customers.
- Taking steps to allow for social distancing of six feet or more, including limiting the number of customers and employees in the store.
- Increasing cleaning and sanitization.
- Modifying the fitting room experience.
- Continuing to offer contactless curbside services at full-line stores.
- Pausing or adapting high-touch services and customer events.
- Keeping tried on or returned merchandise off the salesfloor for a period of time.
- Altering hours of operation.
Online shopping through Nordstrom.com and the Nordstrom app are still available, as is contactless curbside pickup for online orders at selected stores.
"Our stores have always been, and continue to be, a core part of our business," the release says. "The health and wellbeing of our employees, customers and communities is our priority."
For more information about the reopenings, visit the Nordstrom website.
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