SEATTLE (May 18, 2001) - Seattle-based Nordstrom Inc., a leading fashion specialty retailer, today announced it has signed a letter of intent with Simon Property Group to open a new store at Barton Creek Square Mall in Austin, Texas. The store will be approximately 145,000 square feet and is scheduled to open in fall 2003 at the former Montgomery Ward site. Nordstrom at Barton Creek Square Mall will be the retailer's sixth full-line store in Texas.

"We've been looking for the right opportunity in Austin for a long time and we chose Barton Creek Square Mall because we believe it will allow us to best serve the needs of our customers," said Bob Middlemas, executive vice president, central states general manager of Nordstrom's full-line store group. "Our Austin customers worked with us for several years to organize bus trips to our Dallas Galleria store so this project is very exciting to us because we will finally be able to serve Austin residents right in their hometown."

Nordstrom opened its first store in Texas at the Dallas Galleria in 1996. The retailer further expanded its presence there when it opened at Stonebriar Centre in Frisco (August 2000) and at North East Mall in Hurst (March 2001). Nordstrom plans to open three more stores in Texas at the Houston Galleria in Houston (spring 2003), at NorthPark Center in Dallas (fall 2003) and at The Shops at La Cantera in San Antonio (spring 2004).

Nordstrom Rack, the off-price retail division of Nordstrom Inc., opened its first stores in Texas in May 2000 at Preston Shepard Place in Plano and at North East Mall in Hurst.

Nordstrom offers an extensive selection of shoes, clothing and accessories for men, women and children. The retailer has long been committed to carrying a wide range of sizes and styles in both career and casual apparel. Women's apparel is organized by lifestyle departments that cater to classic and modern tastes. Nordstrom carries a broad offering of nationally recognized brands including exclusive lines such as Talora, Classiques Entier, Caslon and Halogen.

Celebrating 100 years of service, Nordstrom, Inc. is one of the nation's leading fashion specialty retailers, with 122 US stores located in 24 states. Founded in 1901 as a shoe store in Seattle, today Nordstrom operates 77 full-line stores, 39 Nordstrom Racks, three Façonnable boutiques, two free-standing shoe stores, and one clearance store. Nordstrom also operates 20 international Façonnable boutiques, primarily in Europe. Additionally, Nordstrom serves customers through its online presence at http://www.nordstrom.com and through its direct mail catalogs. Nordstrom, Inc. is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol JWN.