Blake Nordstrom passes away after fight with cancer
Blake Nordstrom, the Co-President of luxury department store chain Nordstrom, died on Wednesday morning. The 58 year old was being treated for cancer.
“My heart goes out to the Nordstrom family and everyone at the company during this difficult time,” says Nordstrom Chairman Brad Smith.
“Everyone who worked with Blake knew of his passion and deep commitment to employees, customers and the communities we serve. We are fortunate to have continued leadership from Co-Presidents Pete and Erik Nordstrom.”
“Blake Nordstrom was, first and foremost, a retailer. His instinct was always to make decisions based on what customers wanted, with one eye on how demand was changing,” comments Neil Saunders, Managing Director at GlobalData Retail.
This, along with his view that the business should be run on a long-term basis, meant that Nordstrom was usually one step ahead of rivals on big retail trends like omnichannel, own-label development, and the creation of an off-price spin-off, he adds.
“He was never afraid to take risks and was always happy to be personally associated with them. Fortunately, he was most often on the right side of trends. This style of management and his vision is why Nordstrom has always been innovative and has, on occasion, shunned short-term gains in favour of doing the right thing for the long run. His legacy is a strong, respected retailer that has a positive long-term future,” Saunders concludes.
