Dive Brief:
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Nordstrom’s push into Canada will include stores that feature large windows that invite in natural light and black-and-white floors and finishes that are a departure from its traditional artificially lit cream interiors.
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The retailer's Los Angeles location at The Grove is similarly designed, with special attention to ceilings, floors, and finishes in certain departments with higher-priced items for sale, according to reporting by Retail Insider magazine.
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Nordstrom is likely able to more easily make the changes in Canada, where it is opening new stores. Aside from the location at The Grove, there is no word about similar plans for other U.S. stores. Retail Insider is a Canada-focused magazine.
Dive Insight:
The aesthetic changes at Nordstrom are an example of a way to revolutionize brick-and-mortar presentation without taking the full-scale concept-store approach. Nordstrom has also used pop-ups and other ways to widen its appeal among consumers.
This new approach to its interiors helps the department store update its image more in keeping with its upscale reputation. There are few things more inviting than natural light, and this could be a quiet revolution for the retailer, especially if we see the changes in more American stores.