Pre-pandemic, Nordstrom was set to open on the Plaza in 2021. Where do things stand now?

Pre-pandemic, Nordstrom was on its way to jump from Overland Park’s Oak Park Mall to the Country Club Plaza in 2021.

To make way for the new 122,000-square-foot store, several buildings on the Plaza’s west side were demolished in 2019, including the spaces formerly housing the Capital Grille, Blanc Burgers + Bottles and Bank of America. (Capital Grille and Bank of America relocated.)

But after the two-month COVID-19 shutdown, many retailers are regrouping. On May 5, Nordstrom announced that it would close 16 of its full-line stores to strengthen its business for the long-term.

What does this mean for the Plaza development?

In a statement, Maria Mainville, spokeswoman for the Plaza, said: “The project is moving forward. There is work happening now related to the reconfiguration of Jefferson Street and the Nordstrom pad preparation, as well as the retrofit of the adjacent parking deck.”

As for questions related to delays in construction of the new Nordstrom building or its original 2021 opening date, Mainville referred those to Nordstrom.

In a statement, a Nordstrom spokeswoman said, ”We plan to move forward with this store relocation and may need to adjust the timing based on COVID-19.”

Nordstrom’s website still lists a 2021 opening for the Plaza store.

An early May report by retail data and consulting firm GlobalData Retail in New York said Nordstrom has long had too many department stores in “sub-optimal” locations.

“A pruning of the estate” was always in the cards, said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail, in the report. “However, the coronavirus crisis has hastened this move and persuaded Nordstrom to quickly get out of shops which have low profitability and poor prospects. This is a prudent move that will help the company preserve cash in the longer-term and focus its investments on the locations which provide a much better return on investment. This includes expansion in large cities and the development of a network of smaller Nordstrom Local stores.”

On Tuesday, Saunders said he expects Nordstrom’s new locations to go forward as the retailer seeks to open stores with better foot traffic and better configurations. But the chain also wants to launch them in a strong retail environment, “to be able to open in a positive way,” he said.