Nordstrom Rack, Which Exited Downtown Long Beach In 2014, To Open Location In SE LB Marina Pacifica Center In Fall 2015

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(Jan. 8, 2015) -- Nordstrom Rack, which exited a downtown Long Beach location last year, has announced plans to open a location in SE LB's Marina Pacifica Center in fall 2015.

The company release (full text below) makes no mention of the company's former Nordstrom Rack location in downtown Long Beach (CityPlace) (lease announced 2001; opened 2002, closed early 2014.) The downtown LB location was hailed at the time by then-Mayor Beverly O'Neill as a sign of the area's resurgence. In announcing the closure of its downtown location, Nordstrom said its lease was up but stated, "We still hope to do business in Long Beach in the future" [quote by Nordstrom Rack President Geevy Thomas. "Our hope is that eventually we can find another great location where we can better serve our customers."

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Nordstrom's release is below:

[Nordstrom release text] Seattle-based Nordstrom, Inc. (NYSE: JWN) today announced plans to open a Nordstrom Rack at Marina Pacifica Mall in Long Beach, Calif. The approximately 24,000-square-foot store is scheduled to open in fall 2015. The property is managed by NewMark Merrill Companies.
Marina Pacifica is conveniently located off Pacific Coast Highway near East 2nd St. The new Nordstrom Rack will occupy the former Loehmann's space and join a mix of tenants including Best Buy, ULTA Beauty, Pier 1 Imports, AMC Theaters, Barnes & Noble, Sports Authority and Ralphs.
"We're excited to bring a Nordstrom Rack to Marina Pacifica," said Geevy Thomas, president of Nordstrom Rack. "Since we closed our City Place Rack in 2014, we have been actively looking for another location in the Long Beach community and we are thrilled to have found a great opportunity so quickly. We believe this central retail area in Alamitos Bay is a good fit for us and we look forward to earning our customers' business when we open next year."
Nordstrom Rack is the off-price retail division of Nordstrom, Inc., offering customers a wide selection of on-trend apparel, accessories and shoes at an everyday savings of 30-70 percent off regular prices. The Rack carries merchandise from Nordstrom stores and Nordstrom.com, as well as specially purchased items from many of the top brands sold at Nordstrom. The Rack is designed to provide the ultimate treasure hunt to style-savvy customers.
"We are very excited to add Nordstrom Rack at Marina Pacifica. As the leading off-price retailer, bringing great Nordstrom's merchandise, at great prices will be an incredible addition to our list of first-tier tenants. Marina Pacifica is now almost 100 percent leased, making it the dominant location in Long Beach for customers who want both a great shopping environment and great value," stated Sandy Sigal, Chief Executive Officer of NewMark Merrill Companies.

Not long after the closure of the downtown Nordstrom Rack, an Albertsons location exited downtown CityPlace exited and its location is now occupied by an El Super market ("cuesta menos.")

The downtown locations for Nordstrom Rack and Albertsons are in the 1st Council district, represented from 2009-mid-2014 by Councilman (and Council-designed Vice Mayor in 2012) Robert Garcia, who was elected Mayor in 2014, succeeded in the 1st district by his former District Deputy Lena Gonzalez.