Nordstrom Sets Sights On Southeast

Nordstrom Inc. plans to further expand its chain of clothing stores into the Southeast in 2000, opening a full-line store in Boca Raton, Fla., and its second in Atlanta, company Chairman John Whitacre said Tuesday.

Company officials also told shareholders at Nordstrom’s annual meeting that they were encouraged by efforts to control expenses and to increase gross margins.

Last week, Nordstrom reported a 25 percent gain in first-quarter profits, after a disappointing fourth quarter. Nordstrom executives blamed the dip on the retailer’s shift to designer lines at a time when customers wanted familiar “megabrands” like Liz Claiborne, Ralph Lauren and Nike. They said they would devote more floor space to the familiar brands.

Nordstrom is to open three full-line stores this year in Cleveland, Long Island, N.Y., and West Hartford, Conn. In 1998, it plans stores in Atlanta, Overland Park, Kan., and Scottsdale, Ariz.

The company also plans to open a new flagship store in downtown Seattle in mid-1998.