Blake Nordstrom dies at 58
A key member of the executive leadership team at Nordstrom has passed away unexpectedly at the age of 58.
Blake Nordstrom died in Seattle on the morning of January 2, 2019. He was co-president of the department store chain, along with his two brothers, Pete and Erik Nordstrom, who will continue to run the company.
In early December, Nordstrom disclosed he had been diagnosed with a treatable form of lymphoma and was undergoing treatment.
“My heart goes out to the Nordstrom family and everyone at the company during this difficult time,” stated Nordstrom chairman of the board Brad Smith. “Everyone who worked with Blake knew of his passion and deep commitment to employees, customers and the communities we serve. We are fortunate to have continued leadership from co-presidents Pete and Erik Nordstrom.”
Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, commented that Nordstrom’s instinct “was always to make decisions based on what customers wanted, with one eye on how demand was changing.”
“This, along with his view that the business should be run on a long-term basis, meant that Nordstrom was usually one step ahead of rivals on big retail trends like omnichannel, own-label development, and the creation of an off-price spin-off,” he said. (For more, click here.)
The great-grandfather of the Nordstrom brothers, a Swedish immigrant John Nordstrom, founded the company in 1901, in Seattle.
Blake Nordstrom died in Seattle on the morning of January 2, 2019. He was co-president of the department store chain, along with his two brothers, Pete and Erik Nordstrom, who will continue to run the company.
In early December, Nordstrom disclosed he had been diagnosed with a treatable form of lymphoma and was undergoing treatment.
“My heart goes out to the Nordstrom family and everyone at the company during this difficult time,” stated Nordstrom chairman of the board Brad Smith. “Everyone who worked with Blake knew of his passion and deep commitment to employees, customers and the communities we serve. We are fortunate to have continued leadership from co-presidents Pete and Erik Nordstrom.”
Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, commented that Nordstrom’s instinct “was always to make decisions based on what customers wanted, with one eye on how demand was changing.”
“This, along with his view that the business should be run on a long-term basis, meant that Nordstrom was usually one step ahead of rivals on big retail trends like omnichannel, own-label development, and the creation of an off-price spin-off,” he said. (For more, click here.)
The great-grandfather of the Nordstrom brothers, a Swedish immigrant John Nordstrom, founded the company in 1901, in Seattle.