Nordstrom stores in Canada mark final day

Tuesday is the last day to shop at Nordstrom stores in Canada before they close their doors for good.

The stores have been in liquidation since the high-end retailer announced in March it would be shutting down its Canadian locations on June 13. Some locations are already closed due to lack of inventory.

The closures are resulting in the cuts of some 2,500 jobs nationwide.

The Seattle-based retailer says discounts of between 70 to 80 per cent are available during its final days of liquidation. Online shopping is already no longer available on the company’s website.

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• Vancouver’s Nordstrom at Pacific Centre: What could replace it?

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Nordstrom’s CEO says the decision to close all six Nordstrom and seven Nordstrom Rack locations across the country was made because they did not see a realistic path to profitability.

Nordstrom first expanded to Canada with its first store in Calgary at CF Chinook Centre in September 2014. It quickly expanded its presence with stores at CF Rideau Centre in Ottawa, in downtown Vancouver, and CF Eaton Centre, Yorkdale Shopping Centre, and CF Sherway Gardens in Toronto.

What will replace Nordstrom in Vancouver?

The sole location in B.C. is located in the area of Robson, Howe, Granville, and Georgia streets.

It’s still unclear what will be replacing Nordstrom in the prime downtown space. There has been much speculation, though no concrete plans have been unveiled as of yet.

Previously, the president of a B.C.-based urban real estate consulting firm told CityNews the Vancouver Nordstrom store performed well during its time in the city compared to other Canadian markets.

Prior to Nordstrom, the space was occupied by two other department stores: Eaton’s, then Sears.

Urbanics Consultants President Phil Boname suggested once Nordstrom leaves, the space could be taken over as a flagship store for another retailer. However, he said it could serve other purposes.

“Not all of that space need necessarily be taken up by retail, per se. A portion of the space might form part of a large office tower or…five-star hotel location,” he said.

-With files from Greg Bowman