SEATTLE, Wash. - July 19, 2001 - Nordstrom Rack, the off-price retail division of leading fashion specialty retailer Nordstrom, Inc., today announced it will open a new store in Fresno, California at the Villaggio Retail Center, 7883 N. Blackstone Avenue. The new store will be approximately 32,000 square feet and is scheduled to open in spring 2002.

Nordstrom Rack offers customers a wide selection of quality brand name apparel, shoes and accessories for the entire family at savings of 30 to 75 percent. The Villaggio provided the off-price retailer with an opportunity to grow its business in California's Central Valley-an area that currently contains more than 1.5 million residents.

"We believe the Villaggio Retail Center will allow us to offer Central Valley residents a great way to shop with Nordstrom while taking advantage of the quality, value and selection available at Nordstrom Rack," said Dodie Kamman, Nordstrom Rack vice president and regional manager for Northern California, Nevada and Hawaii.

"We are very pleased to bring Nordstrom Rack to Fresno for the benefit of all our local and regional shoppers," said Villaggio developer, Clifford Tutelian. "As property owners, we look forward to our partnership with Nordstrom and we believe Nordstrom Rack will offer Villaggio an important point of difference."

California is an important market for Nordstrom Rack where it currently operates eleven of its 39 stores. Nordstrom Rack plans to open three new stores in California this year in Roseville, San Francisco and Oxnard. During 2002, the off-price retailer announced it will open in Long Beach and Ontario in addition to relocating its current Chino store.

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.