UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549 FORM 8-K CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 DATE OF REPORT (DATE OF EARLIEST EVENT REPORTED) September 2, 2004 NORDSTROM, INC. (EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER) WASHINGTON 001-15059 91-0515058 (STATE OR OTHER JURISDICTION (COMMISSION FILE (I.R.S. EMPLOYER OF INCORPORATION) NUMBER) IDENTIFICATION NO.) 1617 SIXTH AVENUE, SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98101 (ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES) (ZIP CODE) REGISTRANT'S TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE (206) 628-2111 INAPPLICABLE (FORMER NAME OR FORMER ADDRESS IF CHANGED SINCE LAST REPORT) Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2 below): ___ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) ___ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) ___ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) ___ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) ITEM 7.01 REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE On September 2, 2004, Nordstrom, Inc. issued a press release announcing its preliminary August 2004 sales. A copy of this press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1. SIGNATURE Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. NORDSTROM, INC. By: /s/ Michael G. Koppel ----------------------- Michael G. Koppel Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Dated: September 2, 2004 EXHIBIT INDEX EXHIBIT NUMBER DESCRIPTION 99.1 Nordstrom August 2004 Preliminary Sales Release, dated September 2, 2004.
Exhibit 99.1 For Immediate Release September 2, 2004 NORDSTROM AUGUST SAME-STORE SALES INCREASE 7.2 PERCENT ------------------------------------------------------ SEATTLE September 2, 2004 - Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN) today reported preliminary sales of $431.7 million for the four-week period ending August 28, 2004, an increase of 8.2 percent compared to sales of $399.1 million for the four-week period ending August 30, 2003. Same-store sales increased 7.2 percent. The strongest performing geographic regions for the month of August were the Southwest and Southern States. The strongest merchandise categories were accessories, women's shoes and women's designer apparel. Preliminary year-to-date sales of $3.9 billion increased 12.0 percent compared to sales of $3.5 billion in 2003. Year-to-date same-store sales increased 9.2 percent. SALES RECORDING To hear Nordstrom's prerecorded August sales message, please dial (402) 220-6036. This recording will be 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. Year-to-date results for 2003 include one more day than the year-to-date for 2004. The Company believes that adjusting for this difference provides a more comparable basis from which to evaluate sales performance. The following reconciliation bridges the year- to-date 2003 GAAP sales to the 4-5-4 comparable sales.
SALES SUMMARY August August YTD YTD (unaudited; $ in millions) 2004 2003 2004 2003 ------ ------ ------ ------ Total sales $431.7 $399.1 $3,920.7 $3,501.3 Total sales percentage change 8.2% 11.0% 12.0% 6.5% Same-store sales percentage change 7.2% 2.8% 9.2% 1.7% Number of stores (as of August 31, 2004) Full-line 93 90 Rack and other 56 56 International Faconnable boutiques 31 31 --- --- Total 180 177 Gross square footage 19,289,000 18,847,000 FUTURE REPORTING DATES Nordstrom's financial release calendar for the next several months is provided in the table below. September Sales Release Thurs., Oct. 7, 2004 October Sales Release Thurs., Nov. 4, 2004 Third Quarter Earnings Mon., Nov. 22, 2004 November Sales Release Thurs., Dec. 2, 2004 Nordstrom, Inc. is one of the nation's leading fashion specialty retailers, with 149 US stores located in 27 states. Founded in 1901 as a shoe store in Seattle, today Nordstrom operates 93 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. Investor Contact: Stephanie Allen, 206-303-3262 Media Contact: Deniz Anders, 206-373-3038 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.
Dollar % Change % Change Sales Reconciliation ($M) YTD 2003 YTD 2004 Increase Total Sales Comp Sales -------- -------- ---------- ----------- ---------- Number of Days GAAP 211 210 GAAP Sales $3,519.5 $3,920.7 $401.2 11.4% 8.6% Less Feb. 1, 2003 sales ($18.2) -- -------- -------- Reported 4-5-4 sales $3,501.3 $3,920.7 $419.4 12.0% 9.2% ========= ========= 4-5-4 Adjusted Days 210 210