Nordstrom 1Q Profit Rises 19%

Seattle, Nordstrom Inc. said Thursday its first-quarter profit rose 19%, helped in part by a change in the fiscal calendar that meant the quarter started and ended one week later than in 2006.

For the quarter ended May 5, earnings climbed to $156.8 million from $131.2 million during last year's first quarter.

Revenue rose 9% to $1.95 billion from $1.79 billion in the year-ago quarter. Comp-store sales grew 9.5%, bolstered by interest in spring merchandise and ahead of Nordstrom's internal expectations for the quarter, the company said.