Nordstrom Joins Westfield Palm Desert

PALM DESERT, CA-The Seattle-based Nordstrom retail chain has signed a letter of intent with Westfield to open a new Nordstrom store at the Westfield Palm Desert center. The new Nordstrom location will be a two-level store of approximately 149,000 sf that is scheduled to open in spring 2009.Nordstrom has wanted to open a store in the Coachella Valley for a long time, says Erik Nordstrom, EVP of full-line stores for the company. The new Nordstrom location will serve as a catalyst for the revitalization of the shopping center, according to Richard Green, vice chairman of Los Angeles-based US operations for Westfield, which is headquartered in Australia.Besides adding the Nordstrom store, Westfield's plans include the addition of new specialty shops, lifestyle tenants and restaurants. Westfield Palm Desert is a super regional shopping center of nearly 900,000 sf that is located at highways 111 and 74.The Nordstrom store will be located on the north side of the center and will be part of an extensive reinvestment program by Westfield employing the company's "Hy-Style" approach. Westfield's Hy-Style centers are so called because they combine features of enclosed malls and open air centers in a format that is Westfield's answer to the continuing movement toward hybrid malls.In addition to four major anchor stores and a movie theater, Westfield Palm Desert features nearly 150 specialty stores. The new Nordstrom store will join an existing base of 155 locations in 27 states that are operated by the Seattle-based company.