SEATTLE (May 8, 2000) - Fashion specialty retailer Nordstrom today announced it has reached an agreement with The Rouse Company to build a store at a new project to be developed in the northeastern part of the greater Cincinnati metropolitan area in Deerfield Township. The company is also in negotiations with developers of a downtown Cincinnati project that could put a Nordstrom store at Fifth and Race Streets.

"We have been interested in Cincinnati for some time and are very pleased to have the opportunity to serve customers in the greater Cincinnati area," said Bob Middlemas, executive vice president and general manager of Nordstrom's central states region. "Our goal is to achieve the right combination of store locations that will best serve the greater Cincinnati community so we will continue to pursue the possibility of a downtown Cincinnati store."

The project will be located in the I-71 corridor in Deerfield Township in Warren County and will include at least two additional anchor tenants. The Nordstrom store is planned to be approximately 144,000 square feet on two levels, and the center is tentatively scheduled to open in the fall of 2003.

Nordstrom opened its first store in Ohio in 1997 in Cleveland at Beachwood Place, also developed by The Rouse Company. Nordstrom is also scheduled to open a store in Columbus, Ohio at Easton Town Center in Fall 2001. The retailer's national expansion plans over the next few years include such new markets as downtown Chicago (2000), Boca Raton, Fla. (2000), Charlotte, N.C. (2002), Durham, NC (2002), St. Louis, Mo. (2002) and Coral Gables, Fla. (2002).

Nordstrom offers a wide range of apparel for women, men and children, and carries one of the largest selections of shoes available. The company was originally founded as a shoe store in 1901 by John W. Nordstrom. Apparel and accessories were added in the early 1960s.

Nordstrom carries nationally recognized brand names as well as its own exclusive brands, including BCBG Exclusively for Nordstrom, Callaway Golf Apparel, Façonnable, Talora, Classiques Entier, Preview and Halogen.

Nordstrom recently refocused its women's apparel departments to reflect the changing needs of its customers. The retailer has supplemented its strong classic and mainstream offering with more modern and casual merchandise in response to customer feedback. Regional execution teams are responsible for tailoring the merchandise in each store based on the local community's fashion tastes and preferences.

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 with its three direct mail catalogs. Nordstrom, Inc. is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol JWN.

Contact:

Paula Weigand, Nordstrom Inc. (206) 373-3036