AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT NORDSTROM (01/19/25)

Am I Next? Stonestown mall store closure — 230 layoffs.

JANUARY 19, 2025 — 134 EMPLOYEES

The closure of Nordstrom in the North Shore Mall, located in Peabody, Massachusetts, will affect 134 employees,

MAY 24, 2023 — 300+ LAYOFFS IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

The company is closing its two San Francisco, California retail outlets due to rising crime and economic uncertainty.

The closures will impact over 300 employees located in San Frisco.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2022 — 231 LAYOFFS IN CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA

The company has announced that it will be laying off 231 employees at its Cedar Rapids, Iowa distribution center.

According to a company spokesperson, “We have made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce at our Midwest fulfillment center in order to better align with the current needs of our business. We recognize the impact these changes have on our team members and are committed to taking care of our people as we work through this transition.”

JULY 20, 2020 — COMPANY CONTINUES ITS MAJOR REDUCTION IN FORCE WITH 521 LAYOFFS IN SEATLE, WASHINTON

Nordstrom is continuing its fight for survival in response to severely reduced revenues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to published reports, the company is “realigning and reducing our workforce to support our market strategy.” It is estimated that 6,000 layoffs occurred nationally in June 2020. It is projected that the company would layoff 20% to 25% of its staff nationwide with counts ranging from 13,600 to 17,000 employees based on a 2019 employee count.

Of course, the company refuses to reveal actual counts and locations.

MAY 24, 2020 - NORDSTROM LAYS OFF 189 IN HAPPY VALLEY, OREGON AND CLOSES STORE.

The company has announced that 189 layoffs will affect employees at the Clackamas Town Center Nordstrom in Happy Valley, Oregon. The layoffs will commence June 1, 2020 and will continue until the store is scheduled to close on or around June 21, 2020.

According to a company spokesperson, “Because of the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, we have been forced to take a critical look at the physical footprint of our stores and assess how we can respond to the new realities of today's business environment. To maximize our ability to continue serving customers well into the future, we made the decision to close this store.”

AUGUST 6, 2019 — Original Post…

Seattle, Washington-based Nordstrom, the luxury department store retailer with legendary customer service has announced the closure of its 100,000-square-foot store in the San Francisco Stonestown Galleria. The last day of business is scheduled for September 13, 2019. According to a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notice filed with the State of California, the closure is permanent and will affect 230 employees.

According to a company spokesperson, "We keep a close eye on the long-term performance of our stores, real estate agreements and the future needs of our business. We look at our business market-to-market to understand where we have opportunities to grow while also being as efficient as possible in serving our customers. Looking at our needs in the San Francisco market, we decided it made the most sense to close this store."

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT ORCHARD SUPPLY HARDWARE (OSH)

Am I Next? Lowe's shutting down Orchard Supply Hardware, 4000 employees face layoffs.

As part of a major restructuring effort, the home improvement retailer, Mooresville, North Carolina-based Lowe’s, will be closing all 99 Orchard Supply Hardware stores in California, Oregon, and Florida and laying off approximately 4,000 employees. 

According to Lowe’s President and CEO, Marvin R. Ellison...

“We are committed to driving even stronger performance in the future by sharpening our focus on retail fundamentals and by limiting any projects and initiatives that take us away from our core mission of being a great omnichannel home improvement retailer. I would like to thank our associates for their hard work and commitment to the company. While it was a necessary business decision to exit Orchard Supply Hardware, decisions that impact our people are never easy. We will be providing outplacement services for impacted associates, and they will be given priority status if they choose to apply for other Lowe's positions." 

"In addition to the decision to exit Orchard Supply Hardware, we are developing plans to aggressively rationalize store inventory, reducing lower-performing inventory while investing in increased depth of high-velocity items. Exiting Orchard Supply Hardware and rationalizing inventory are the driving force behind the changes to Lowe's Business Outlook. Our strategic reassessment is ongoing as we evaluate the productivity of our real estate portfolio and non-retail business investments.  We will update you on the changes to our strategy at the upcoming analyst and investor conference in December [2018]."

Ironically, the closure comes five years after Lowe’s acquired San Jose, California-based Orchard Supply Hardware out of bankruptcy from Sear’s Holdings, the slow-moving disaster presided over by Eddie Lampert. Sears acquired the chain in 1996 and in an attempt at financial engineering to bolster the faltering Sears operation, spun off OSH as a separate business in 2012 – which then crashed and burned into bankruptcy in June 2013 when it was crushed by hundreds of millions of acquisition debt.

Are you wondering, Am I Next?