Nordstrom Case Study

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Nordstrom, Inc. (Nordstrom or 'the company') is a fashion specialty retailer offering apparel, shoes, cosmetics and accessories for women, men and children. The company primarily operates in the US. It is headquartered in Seattle, Washington and employed about 62,500 people as of February 1, 2014.

The company recorded revenues of $12,540 million during the financial year ended January 2014 (FY2014), an increase of 3.3% over FY2013. The operating profit of the company was $1,350 million in FY2014, an increase of 0.4% over FY2013. The net profit of the company was $734 million in FY2014, a decrease of 0.1% compared to FY2013.

The company's financial year ends on the Saturday closest to January 31. FY2014 was a 52-week period and FY2013 was a 53-week period.

KEY FACTS

Head Office Nordstrom, Inc. 1617 Sixth Avenue Seattle Washington 98101 USA

Phone 1 206 628 2111

Fax

Web Address http://www.nordstrom.com/

Revenue / turnover (USD Mn) 12,540.0

Financial Year End January

Employees 62,500

New York Ticker JWN

BUSINESS DESCRIPTION

Nordstrom is one of the leading fashion specialty retailers in the US. As of March 17, 2014, the company operated 262 retail stores in 35 US states. Nordstrom has the largest presence in the west and east coast areas.

The company operates through two business segments: retail and credit.

As of March 17, 2014, the retail segment included 117 Nordstrom full-line stores, 142 off-price Nordstrom Rack stores, two Jeffrey boutiques, one clearance store that operates under the Last Chance banner, and an online store at www.nordstrom.com. Through these retail channels, the company offers a wide range of branded and private label merchandise such as apparel, shoes, cosmetics and accessories for men, women and children. Merchandise for the company's online store is mainly shipped from the fulfillment center based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Nordstrom also offers its customers the option to purchase items on its website and pick merchandise from Nordstrom full-line stores. The Nordstrom Rack stores purchase merchandise directly from the same vendors carried in Nordstrom full-line stores. These stores also serve as outlets for clearance merchandise from Nordstrom stores. The company also operates an online private sale store through its subsidiary HauteLook.