The Nordstrom at Fashion Island will be the retailer's sixth full-line store in Orange County. The Seattle-based company operates stores at Brea Mall, Irvine Spectrum Center, Main Place Mall in Santa Ana, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa and the Shops at Mission Viejo. The company also operates two Nordstrom Rack stores in Orange County at Metro Pointe in Costa Mesa and Union Plaza in Brea. In one of its most recent deals, reported on GlobeSt.com, Nordstrom revealed plans to open a 35,000-sf Nordstrom Rack at Simon Property Group's 867,000-sf Laguna Hills Mall in the fall of this year.

Fashion Island, located on the Newport Beach coast, is an open-air luxury shopping venue with nearly 200 shops, boutiques, restaurants and Orange County's only Neiman Marcus. Other tenants include Bloomingdale's, Bloomingdale's Home Store and Macy's.

The opening of the new Nordstrom is part of a long-range growth plan that Nordstrom execs have outlined in recent conference calls. The department store chain has approved a $3-billion capital expenditures budget for the next five years, with 80% of that budget earmarked for new stores, store relocations and store remodels. The plan calls for opening eight new stores and relocating one in 2008.