Nordstrom Closes 16 Stores Across the US: CEO

Nordstrom Rack's coupon on Groupon.com crashed the deals website on Friday. Above, a Nordstrom Rack store in Manhattan, New York. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Nordstrom announced this week it will be permanently closing 16 of its department stores across the United States, citing the CCP virus pandemic as the main reason why.

Other than Nordstrom Rack and Trunk Club locations, the company has 116 full-line stores, according to reports. All of them have been temporarily shut down to slow the spread of COVID-19 since March.

“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,” said Erik Nordstrom, chief executive officer of Nordstrom, in a statement, also announcing that 16 stores are shutting down.

“More than ever, we need to work with flexibility and speed,” Nordstrom said. “Our market strategy helps with both, bringing inventory closer to where customers live and work, allowing us to use our stores as fulfillment centers to get products to customers faster, and connecting digital and physical experiences with services like curbside pickup and returns.”

The permanent closures will impact Nordstroms locations across Florida, New Jersey, Texas, and California, as well as several other states. They amount to around 14 percent of the total locations across the country.

Department stores have been especially hard-hit during the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic and have announced nationwide closures that have lasted weeks. Neiman Marcus last week filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, while JCPenney reportedly will do the same in the near future.

A Reuters report, citing anonymous sources, claimed JCPenney would close about a quarter of its stores and file for bankruptcy protection in the coming week. JCPenney has not confirmed the reports.

On Friday, restaurant chain Souplantation announced it would be closing all its stores, also citing federal health guidelines to curb the spread of the CCP virus.

A Nordstrom spokesperson confirmed to CNBC the list of closing locations, including:

• Chandler Fashion Center, 3199 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler, Arizona
• Arden Fair Mall, 1651 Arden Way, Sacramento, California
• Paseo Nuevo, 17 W. Canon Perdido St., Santa Barbara, California
• Montclair Place, 5015 N. Montclair Plaza Lane, Montclair, California
• Westfield North County, 270 E. Via Rancho Parkway, Escondido, California
• 3601 The Galleria at Tyler, Riverside, California
• Stoneridge Shopping Center, 1600 Stoneridge Mall Road, Pleasanton, California
• FlatIron Crossing, 21 W. Flatiron Crossing Drive, Broomfield, Colorado
• Waterside Shops, 5489 Tamiami Trail N., Naples, Florida
• Dadeland Mall, 7239 N. Kendall Drive, Miami, Florida
• 1800 Annapolis Mall, Annapolis, Maryland
• Freehold Raceway Mall, 3710 U.S. Highway 9, Freehold, New Jersey
• Clackamas Town Center, SE 85th Ave., Happy Valley, Oregon
• North East Mall, 1101 Melbourne Road, Hurst, Texas
• Short Pump Town Center, 11812 W. Broad St., Richmond, Virginia
• 4000 The Mall of San Juan Blvd., San Juan, Puerto Rico