Nordstrom closing stores in Ottawa as it winds down Canadian operations

The Nordstrom store in the Rideau Centre and the Nordstrom Rack at Ottawa Train Yards will close by the end of June, as the retail store shuts down operations in Canada.

Nordstrom announced on Thursday it is winding down its Canadian operations and closing all of its stores in Canada.  The fashion retailer said it does not "see a realistic path to profitability for the Canadian business".

"We have made the difficult decision to wind down operations in our Canadian business," Nordstrom CEO Erik Nordstrom said in a statement.

"This will enable us to simplify our operations and further increase our focus on driving long-term profitable growth in our core U.S. business."

The company said all of its 2,500 staff members in Canada would lose their jobs. Nordstrom says the e-commerce platform will cease operations on March 2, while the in-store wind-down is anticipated to be completed by late June with the help of a third-party liquidator.

Nordstrom Canada gift cards will continue to be honoured to the end of the liquidation period. Returns and exchanges will be permitted until March 17 at which point all sales and returns will be considered final.

There are six Nordstrom stores and seven Nordstrom Rack stores across Canada, including the two in Ottawa.

"I might miss it, to be honest," said one shopper outside the Rideau Centre.

"It's unfortunately. It's a nice store," said another shopper.

One shopper said they were not surprised to hear the store is closing.

"Any time I hear stores closing, it's not surprising anymore."

Nordstrom's departure from the Rideau Centre will mean the downtown Ottawa mall is losing one of its main anchor tenants. Nordstrom opened its store at the Rideau Centre in March 2015, with the 157,000 square-foot store offering items for women, men and children. 

Cadillac Fairview says it's too early to speculate on possible businesses to take over Nordstrom's space in the Rideau Centre.

"Cadillac Fairview is constantly assessing the ever-changing retail landscape and while it’s too early to speculate what we will do with these spaces in the future, our team is working diligently to manage this change and work towards an outcome that is in the best interests of our centres and our long term success," Cadillac Fairview spokesperson Janine Ramparas said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

In 2016, Nordstrom announced plans to open a 'Nordstrom Rack' at Ottawa Train Yards. The 35,000 sq. ft. store opened in the fall of 2018.

With files from The Canadian Press