NORFOLK — MacArthur Center will lose one of its anchor tenants in the coming months. Nordstrom, the high-end clothing retailer, announced it would not renew its lease with the Downtown Norfolk mall.
Nordstrom’s last day of business will be April 5, said MacArthur Center’s Marketing Director Karen Husselbee.
“Since this is a city-owned building, Starwood will continue to work in partnership to support the city’s vision for the property,” Husselbee said. “Ultimately, the city will decide on next steps.”
Wednesday’s announcement comes after seven other MacArthur stores — Aveda, Banana Republic, Chico’s, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Yankee Candle, and Zales — decided in recent weeks not to renew their leases in the mall. Those stores will be leaving MacArthur at the end of January, Husselbee said.
Although the Nordstrom closing fits a pattern of retailers exiting MacArthur, not everyone believes it is indicative of a problem with the city.
“It is our understanding the company is also closing a store in Florida,” said Lori Crouch, spokeswoman for the City of Norfolk, referring to the Nordstrom closing. “The decision has nothing to do with Norfolk — it is the reality of retail.”
Crouch added the city owns the MacArthur Center building, and “the Nordstrom closure offers us a unique opportunity to re-imagine this strategic location.”
The city and Starwood Retail Partners, the property manager and leasing agent for MacArthur, are in communication about “possible scenarios” for use of the Nordstrom space after its departure. Crouch did not elaborate on what those scenarios look like.
The director of Nordstrom’s store in MacArthur Center, as well as representatives from its corporate headquarters in Seattle, were not immediately available for comment.
