SEATTLE - (April 5, 2000) When fashion specialty retailer Nordstrom Inc. designed and enhanced its current retail cards the results were a radical departure from credit industry standards and the retailers’ own buttoned-down past. The Nordstrom Retail, Nordstrom Legacy, Nordstrom Platinum and Nordstrom Platinum Legacy proprietary cards are unlike any other. These new credit products combine internationally renowned designer Jennifer Morla’s sleek styling with new features including a reward program for all customers and cash advance at automated teller machines (ATM) displaying the PLUS® symbol. The new cards will be distributed to Nordstrom credit customers March 29 through May 31, 2000 along with a description of the reward program, a change in terms notice, and a personalized survey.

Serving as a backdrop for Ms. Morla’s innovative design work is a full-faced hologram created by American Bank Note Holographics, Inc. in Elmsford, New York. This unique feature is an industry first and offers unparalleled security against fraud. Nordstrom also worked with Perfect Plastic Printing Corporation of St. Charles, Illinois, the card manufacturer, which developed new technology to apply the full-faced hologram. Information such as customer name, account number and year the account was opened is now located on the back of each card.

"Ms. Morla is a tremendous talent and we are thrilled she has lent her expertise to our redesign effort," said Kevin Knight chairman of Nordstrom fsb, a full service thrift and wholly owned subsidiary of Nordstrom Inc. "The new designs complement a totally reinvented Nordstrom Retail Card and signal our commitment to providing our customers with a more competitive product."

The new Nordstrom proprietary cards recognize customer spend level and longevity with four cards, each featuring a different hologram designed by Jennifer Morla, president and creative director of Morla Design in San Francisco. Ms. Morla’s ability to pair wit and elegance on everything from annual reports to music videos, combined with her expertise in graphic design brought a new perspective to the project. In addition to being displayed at the Grand Palais in Paris, The Brandenburg Art Gallery in Berlin, and The National Museum of American Art in Washington D.C., Ms. Morla’s work is a part of the permanent collection of The Museum of Modern Art, The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Library of Congress.

Nordstrom Inc. is one of the nation’s leading fashion specialty retailers, with 106 stores located in 23 states, including 72 full-line stores, 28 Nordstrom Racks, three Façonnable boutiques, two free-standing shoe stores, and one clearance store. The company also seeks to serve customers through its online presence at http://www.nordstrom.com, as well as direct mail catalogs. Nordstrom Inc. is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol JWN.

Contact:

Brooke White, Nordstrom Inc.
(206) 373-3030