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Nordstrom Reports August Same-Store Sales Increase of 3.2%

SEATTLE, Sep 4, 2003 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN) today reported preliminary sales of $402.6 million for the four-week period ending August 30, 2003, an increase of 11.3 percent compared to sales of $361.7 million for the four-week period ending August 31, 2002. Same-store sales increased 3.2 percent.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20001011/NORDLOGO )

August same-store sales in full-line stores increased in the Northwest, Southwest and Central States geographic regions. By merchandise division, same-store sales increased in Shoes, Cosmetics, Accessories, Men's Wear, Women's Active Wear, Junior Women's, Intimate Apparel, and Women's Designer Apparel.

Preliminary year-to-date sales of $3.5 billion increased 6.6 percent compared to year-to-date 2002 sales of $3.3 billion. Year-to-date same-store sales increased 1.8 percent.

SALES RECORDING

To hear Nordstrom's prerecorded August sales message, please dial (402) 530-7891. This recording is available for one week.

GAAP SALES PERFORMANCE

The additional information provided in this section is to comply with the Securities and Exchange Commission's Regulation G. The Company converted to a 4-5-4 Retail Calendar at the beginning of 2003. This change in the fiscal calendar has resulted in differences in the number of days included in the current period versus the same period in the prior year. Sales performance numbers included in this sales release have been calculated on a comparative 4-5-4 basis. The Company believes that adjusting for these differences provides a more comparable basis (4-5-4 vs. 4-5-4) from which to evaluate sales performance. The following reconciliation bridges 2002 GAAP sales to the 4-5-4 comparable sales.

                                                 Dollar    % Change  % Change
                              August    August   Increase/    Total     Comp
    Sales Reconciliation($M)   2003      2002   (Decrease)    Sales    Sales
      Number of Days GAAP        28        31
      GAAP Sales             $402.6    $434.7      ($32.1)   (7.4%)    (14.4%)
      Less August 1-3,
       2002 sales                --    ($73.0)
      Reported 4-5-4 sales   $402.6    $361.7       $40.9     11.3%      3.2%
      4-5-4 Adjusted Days        28        28
                                                           % Change  % Change
                                YTD       YTD      Dollar     Total     Comp
    Sales Reconciliation ($M)   2003      2002    Increase    Sales    Sales
      Number of Days GAAP        211       212
      GAAP Sales            $3,541.3  $3,336.0     $205.3      6.2%      0.8%
      Less Feb. 1, 2003       ($18.2)       --
      Less Feb. 1-2,
       2002 sales                 --   ($30.4)
      Reported 4-5-4 sales  $3,523.1  $3,305.6     $217.5      6.6%      1.8%
      4-5-4 Adjusted Days       210        210

FUTURE REPORTING DATES

Nordstrom's financial release calendar for the next several months is provided in the table below.

          September Sales Release       Thurs., October 9, 2003
          October Sales Release         Thurs., November 6, 2003
          Third Quarter Earnings        Thurs., November 20, 2003
          November Sales Release        Thurs., December 4, 2003

Nordstrom, Inc. is one of the nation's leading fashion specialty retailers, with 146 US stores located in 27 states. Founded in 1901 as a shoe store in Seattle, today Nordstrom operates 90 full-line stores, 49 Nordstrom Racks, five Faconnable boutiques, one free-standing shoe store, and one clearance store. Nordstrom also operates 31 international Faconnable boutiques, primarily in Europe. Additionally, Nordstrom serves customers through its online presence at http://www.nordstrom.com and through its direct mail catalogs.

    SALES SUMMARY                        Aug.       Aug.       YTD       YTD
    (unaudited; $ in millions)           2003       2002      2003      2002

    Total sales                        $402.6     $361.7  $3,523.1  $3,305.6
    Total sales percentage change       11.3%       3.9%      6.6%      4.8%
    Same-store sales percentage change   3.2%       0.2%      1.8%      0.3%

    Number of stores (as of August 30, 2003)
       Full-line                           90        83
       Rack and other                      56        54
       International Faconnable boutiques  31        23
       Total                              177       160

    Gross square footage
     (as of August 30, 2003)       18,847,000 17,488,000

Certain statements in this news release might contain "forward-looking" information (as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) that involves risks and uncertainties, including anticipated results, store openings and distribution channels, planned capital expenditures, and trends in company operations. Actual future results and trends may differ materially from historical results or current expectations depending upon factors including, but not limited to, the company's ability to predict fashion trends, consumer apparel buying patterns, the company's ability to control costs, weather conditions, hazards of nature such as earthquakes and floods, trends in personal bankruptcies and bad debt write-offs, changes in interest rates, employee relations, the company's ability to continue its expansion plans, and the impact of economic and competitive market forces, including the impact of terrorist activity or the impact of a war on the company, its customers and the retail industry. Our SEC reports may contain other information on these and other factors that could affect our financial results and cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking information we may provide.

CONTACT: investors, Stephanie Allen, +1-206-303-3262, or media, Shasha Richardson, +1-206-373-3038, both for Nordstrom, Inc.

SOURCE Nordstrom, Inc.

investors, Stephanie Allen, +1-206-303-3262, or media, Shasha
Richardson, +1-206-373-3038, both for Nordstrom, Inc.
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