Nordstrom Inc. is preparing to permanently close 16 of its 116 full-line stores nationwide to sustain operations during and after the coronavirus pandemic, but the company has not confirmed which locations will be shuttered.

The Seattle-based company indicated in a regulatory filing Tuesday it is closing the 16 multifloor department stores to strengthen its business in the long term and meet accelerating changes in customer expectations.

Bryn West, River Park Square vice president, said Wednesday she hasn’t received information from Nordstrom about specific store closures, but “all indications point toward a positive outcome” for the downtown Spokane store.

Nordstrom has a long-term lease with River Park Square and recently completed a significant remodel of the store’s first floor that includes “cutting edge” features found only in the retailer’s New York flagship location, West said.

“That’s a pretty positive outlook for the store,” she said.

River Park Square is owned by affiliates of the Cowles Co., which also publishes The Spokesman-Review.

When contacted Wednesday, Nordstrom declined to comment on whether the Spokane store is among the 16 planned closures.

The company has given no timetable for the reopening of other stores, which closed temporarily in mid-March. Going forward, the company has said it will make changes to how its stores function in a “market-by-market” approach, and will move its big Anniversary Sale from July to August, the Seattle Times reported.

If Nordstrom, an anchor tenant at River Park Square, chose to close its Spokane store, it would have a significant impact, said Mark Richard, president of the Downtown Spokane Partnership.

“They are extremely important in our region. They support a clientele and fill a niche in the retail marketplace not filled by any other retailer,” said Richard, adding the store draws customers from surrounding cities that might not otherwise come to Spokane. “We know we get shoppers in from 500 miles away, so Nordstrom has that kind of a draw. To lose that would be devastating.”

Nordstrom is among several large retailers struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. J. Crew filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday. Macy’s reported the coronavirus outbreak “continues to take a heavy toll” on the company, which lost a majority of sales because of temporary store closures imposed by stay-at-home orders nationwide.

Nordstrom temporarily closed all stores in March in response to the pandemic. In addition to its River Park Square store, the company operates a Nordstrom Rack in Spokane Valley.

Nordstrom’s department stores typically serve as anchor tenants that generate a large amount of foot traffic for malls nationwide.

Nordstrom was integral to a plan by city leaders in the mid-1990s to revitalize downtown Spokane with the $110 million redevelopment of River Park Square. The plan called for demolishing an existing Nordstrom store and building a larger location to entice shoppers to the city’s core.

The redeveloped River Park Square opened in August 1999 to much fanfare, which included a high school marching band drumroll and a crowd of more than 2,000 people, according to a Spokesman-Review article.

Nordstrom was the biggest draw that day for River Park Square. Customers lined up around the block by 9 a.m. to await entry to the store.

Nordstrom continues to be a destination for customers in downtown Spokane and generates foot traffic to adjacent businesses, such as the Cosmic Cowboy, which opened next to the store in February.

“They are the anchor tenant for River Park Square. They are one of the biggest draws,” said Chris White, general manager of Cosmic Cowboy said, adding Nordstrom customers and employees eat at the restaurant.

“(A potential closure) would definitely be impactful, not just for us but the whole River Park Square.”