Nordstrom Local Launching Additional L.A. Sites

The concept is geared to advance Nordstrom’s reputation for service.

Nordstrom plans to open Nordstrom Local “neighborhood hubs” in Brentwood and in downtown Los Angeles this fall and is believed to be eyeing the format for other parts of the country.

“Nordstrom is continuing to invest in its growth strategy with the goal of increasing market share by providing customers with better and more convenient services and access to more products,” said Ken Worzel, president of Nordstrom.com and chief digital officer. “Through our local market strategy, we're combining the scale of our national infrastructure with our local assets of people, product and place to help re-imagine the shopping experience for our customers.”

The concept is geared to provide easier access to services like onsite tailoring and alterations; curbside pickup; buy online, pick up in store; and easy returns. It's also geared to bridge the online and brickand-mortar shopping experiences. The 1,200-square-foot Brentwood location at

214 26th Street will be among other shops and restaurants in the heart of the neighborhood, the company said Monday. The downtown Los Angeles location will be situated amid commercial office towers and business-oriented hotels in the BLOC, located at 700 S Flower Street, and will be about 2,200 square feet.

The first Nordstrom Local opened in October 2017 on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. “We're learning a lot from customers through our first Nordstrom Local store on Melrose and we're looking forward to learning even more from the addition of the Brentwood and downtown L.A. locations,” said Shea Jensen, senior vice president of customer experiences. “We think there are more ways to serve customers on their terms and we are looking forward to introducing Nordstrom Local to customers who live in these neighborhoods.”

Dan Cote, general manager of The Bloc, called Nordstrom Local an “innovative shopping experience that further elevates downtown's revitalization... With The Bloc's direct access to The Metro, 33-story class A creative office and 496-room Sheraton Grand Hotel, Nordstrom Local will be a convenient experiential shopping destination for many downtown residents, workers and visitors.”

News of the new Nordstrom Local locations was not unexpected. Last May at the retailer's annual meeting, copresident Blake Nordstrom underscored the importance of the L.A. market and said Nordstrom would expand on its test of the Local concept with two more stores in the market. The Local store carries no inventory, but is weighted toward services and serves espresso and alcohol.

“What we're pivoting and moving to… is how we can best serve an individual customer versus looking at the business just through the four walls of the store,” Nordstrom said. “We're learning a lot through Nordstrom Local, and we think there's more ways that we can serve the customer.”

He said Los Angeles is the company's largest market, with four million customers, $1 billion in sales and 16 full-line stores, 27 Nordstrom Rack doors and the Local store as well as a distribution center and fulfillment center. However, L.A. could be overtaken by the New York market once Nordstrom opens its first New York City store on West 57th Street next year.