Concern about the coronavirus crisis has postponed the official opening of the new Nordstrom Rack store at Willowbrook Shopping Centre.
A statement from the company said the April 23 opening “has been postponed in an effort to do our part in stopping the spread of COVID-19.”
A new date has not been set yet.
Willowbrook Shopping Centre has been predicting shoppers from outside the area would make special trips to visit Nordstrom Rack and the new Winners outlet, once renovations to the former Sears premises at the Langley shopping centre were done.
It wasn’t clear if the Winners move, expected by the end of March, was also affected.
TJX Companies, the firm that owns and operates Winners stores along with HomeSense and Marshalls outlets in Canada, did not respond to interview requests by the Langley Advance Times.
READ MORE: Nordstrom opens discount outlet in Langley’s biggest mall
Nordstrom had begun hiring staff for its new store, with multiple postings have gone up on the Seattle-based company’s website, for a variety of jobs ranging from retail sales to security and assistant department manager.
There were no listings as of Monday.
Nordstrom has a reputation for legendary customer service, as described in The Nordstrom Way to Customer Service Excellence by Robert Spector.
Spector notes “Nordies” are given an unusual amount of freedom to handle problems.
READ MORE: VIDEO/PHOTOS: Nordstrom opens third Canadian store in Vancouver
Nordstrom, founded in 1901 as a shoe store in Seattle, has grown to operate 380 stores in 40 states, including 116 full-line stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico; 248 Nordstrom Rack stores; three Jeffrey boutiques; two clearance stores; six Trunk Club clubhouses; and five Nordstrom local service concepts.
Larissa Jacobson, vice president, retail leasing at QuadReal Property Group, the Vancouver firm that operates Willowbrook, said more improvements are in the works, including a new 40,000 sq. ft. grocery outlet that will go in the former Toys R’ Us space that was left vacant by the toy seller when it relocated to the former Target store premises.
Plans also call for construction of new space for a “food precinct” that will have outdoor and indoor seating, and a selection of five to six larger style restaurants in the 2,500 to 7,000 sq. ft. range, along with a few in the 1,000 to 2,000 sq. ft. range with varying styles of cuisine.
dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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