SEATTLE (AP) — Bruce Nordstrom, a retail executive who helped expand his family's Pacific Northwest department store chain into a luxury national brand, has died.
Seattle-based Nordstrom Inc. announced that its former chairman died Saturday at his home. He was 90 years old.
“Our father left a strong legacy as a legendary business leader, generous community member, and loyal friend,” his sons, Nordstrom CEO Eric Nordstrom and company president Pete Nordstrom, said in a statement. Stated.
The chain's roots date back to a Seattle shoe store opened in 1901 by Swedish immigrant John Nordstrom and his partners.
Bruce Nordstrom and other members of the third generation took over management in 1968. They took the company public in his 1971 year and expanded locations across the United States while also launching low-priced Nordstrom Rack stores.
Bruce Nordstrom retired from the board in 1995 as the third generation handed over leadership to the fourth generation. He retired as Chairman of the Nordstrom Board of Directors in 2006.
He was one of several Nordstrom family members who pushed to take the company private in 2017, offering to buy out the 70% stake in the department store it didn't already own. Those talks broke down in 2018, but his sons began a new round of acquisition talks earlier this year.
In addition to his two sons, Nordstrom's survivors include his wife, Jeannie, his sister, fellow philanthropist Ann Gittinger, and seven grandchildren.
