Nordstrom Begins Opening Canadian Stores with Safety Protocols

By Jessica Finch

Seattle-based Nordstorm will begin reopening its Canadian stores this week with health and safety protocols at the forefront of its operational plan. Friday, May 22, will see Nordstrom’s flagship store at CF Pacific Centre in Vancouver opening for the first time since the shutdown in March. Other locations will soon follow.

These include Nordstrom stores in Calgary and Ottawa, as well as three locations in Toronto. Nordstrom also operates six off-price Nordstrom Rack stores in Canada and a seventh will open at Willowbrook Shopping Centre in Langley — a Vancouver suburb — in the fall.

With the health and wellbeing of employees, customers, and surrounding communities being a top priority, Nordstrom says that it will be implementing appropriate safety measures and protocols at its CF Pacific Centre store once its doors reopen to the public.

The following steps will be taken:

-Health screenings will be conducted for employees;

-Face coverings will be provided for employees and customers;

-Thorough and regular cleaning and sanitation will be conducted;

-Modified fitting room protocol will be implemented;

-Returned or tried-on merchandise will be kept off the floor for the recommended period of time.

Contactless curbside services and online shopping will continue to be available after the physical store reopening for those who do not wish to shop in-store. 

View this post on Instagram

We're Open! We've missed you and we can't wait to welcome you back. We've been working hard to ensure your visit is a safe and comfortable one. Swipe to learn more or visit the link in our bio for full details and to view our hours of operation.

A post shared by CF Pacific Centre (@cfpacificcentre) on May 19, 2020 at 8:18am PDT

View this post on Instagram

We’re Open! We’ve missed you and we can't wait to welcome you back. We’ve been working hard to ensure your visit is a safe and comfortable one. Swipe to learn more or visit the link in our bio for full details and to view our hours of operation.

A post shared by CF Polo Park Shopping Centre (@cfpolopark) on May 4, 2020 at 10:08am PDT

CF Pacific Centre reopened to the public on Friday, May 15, operating under reduced hours and with only a portion of retailers open, as of now. At the opposite end of CF Pacific Centre, Holt Renfrew reopened its store on Monday May 19. 

In cities where stores have begun reopening, foot traffic has for the most part, been light. CF Polo Park in Winnipeg reopened on May 4 with about 25 percent of retailers opening on day one. By the end of that week, about 50 percent of retailers had opened in the mall but foot traffic was said to be nowhere near the volume seen before the COVID-19 store shutdowns.

On May 19 some non-essential stores reopened in Toronto. So far there’s been only slightly increased foot traffic on the streets and only a portion of retailers open.

Next week Retail Insider will showcase photos in places where retail has begun to reopen, and we’ll be tracking the industry in the weeks to come as Canada finds a new normal.

Jessica Finch is a writer and editor based in Toronto. She holds a BA in English and Psychology and is a graduate of Ryerson University’s Publishing program. She has extensive managerial experience in the food service industry, and is interested in exploring innovations within this sector and other retail environments. Email: jessica@retail-insider.com

TODAY’S TOP HEADLINES