The weight of the coronavirus pandemic is forcing Nordstrom (JWN -1.35%) to permanently close 16 of its full-line stores.
The troubled department store chain's strength has been its off-price Nordstrom Rack chain, as well as online sales, and after a review of its business due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the retailer said it would close the full-price stores to "meet the accelerating changes in customer expectations."
Image source: Nordstrom.
Pivot to e-commerce
The closures represent 14% of its full-line store base, but only 4% of its total physical retailer operations in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Nordstrom intimated e-commerce will have a much greater role to play going forward, noting more than half of its store sales involve tapping into its online site at some point, while a third of online sales involve a store experience.
CEO Erik Nordstrom said in a statement, "We've been investing in our digital and physical capabilities to keep pace with rapidly changing customer expectations. The impact of COVID-19 is only accelerating the importance of these capabilities in serving customers."
E-commerce represented one-third of Nordstrom's 2019 revenue and its off-price online business generated over $1 billion in sales.
Nordstrom will be incurring non-cash impairment charges associated with the closures, but says the restructuring is expected to result in savings of approximately $150 million. That's about 30% of the retailer's previously announced $500 million cost reduction program in operating expenses, capital expenditures, and working capital.
All of Nordstrom's storms have been closed since March 17, but it will begin a phased reopening based on state and local laws.
