Nordstrom will serve both tourists and locals

Tuesday, May 25, 1999 | 11:38 a.m.

Nordstrom will have Las Vegas Strip frontage at its three-level department store between the Mandalay Bay and Luxor hotel-casinos.

That was one of the key points to seal the deal that will bring one of the nation's most coveted retailers to the city.

Seattle-based Nordstrom ended months of speculation Monday with word that it would be one of two anchor stores at Circus Circus Enterprises' new 1.2 million-square-foot regional mall.

Nordstrom, Circus Circus and Phoenix-based shopping center developer Westcor Partners jointly announced the project on the first day of the International Council of Shopping Centers convention in Las Vegas. Citing company policy, Circus Circus did not disclose terms of the deal.

It was no accident that the announcement came during the opening of one of the industry's biggest trade shows, where more than 30,000 shopping center and retail experts are gathering.

For Wally Chester, executive vice president of Westcor, the timing was perfect. During the five-day show, Chester will have access to hundreds of retail representatives and will be able to show them the site, the plans and the potential of the new mall.

"It couldn't have been announced at a better time for us," Chester said of the project targeted for completion in 2001.

Chester said he will be looking for upscale retailers, but not the luxury segment. The result will be a mall that competes directly with Fashion Show on the Strip, but not necessarily with the Forum Shops at Caesars, the Canal Shops at the Venetian or Bellagio's high-end retail.

Chester said the tenant mix should be attractive to tourists staying at the two Circus Circus properties on both ends of the mall as well as to Las Vegas residents.

The location is ideal for Nordstrom, which wanted the high-profile visibility of the Strip, and the front entrance should be visible from planes taking off from McCarran International Airport.

"They'll have the best of both worlds," said George Connor, senior vice president of the retail division of Colliers International, Las Vegas. "They'll be able to capture the Strip traffic and they'll be 15 minutes from Summerlin and Green Valley when the Beltway is in place."

Richard Lee, public relations director of First American Title and an expert on Las Vegas real estate, said access is being planned that will make it possible for local residents to get to the mall off frontage roads near Interstate 15, keeping them away from the Strip traffic they deplore.

"Circus Circus will probably make this one of the most exciting malls in the country," Lee said. "With Nordstrom as an anchor tenant, it will succeed. Las Vegas is on its way to becoming one of the premiere shopping destinations of the world."

So what other stores are planned at the new mall? Representatives of Westcor and Circus Circus had no immediate answers. In fact, Circus spokeswoman Sarah Ralston said it's too early to determine how many stores there would be, how big they would be and whether there would be just one or more additional anchors.

Real estate experts familiar with the mall said Lord & Taylor and Bloomingdale's were being courted as possible anchor tenants, but Ralston and Chester would not disclose with whom they are negotiating.

While the mall's opening is still at least 19 months away, much of the construction already is completed. A bridge linking Mandalay Bay north to Luxor is the structure that will be devoted to shoppers. Nordstrom will extend east from the bridge, toward the Strip.

"Our vision for Mandalay Bay and Luxor has always included an upscale retail bridge," Glenn Schaffer, president of Circus Circus, said in a statement issued Monday.

Westcor already is familiar with using a bridge for retail. The Fashion Square mall of Scottsdale, Ariz., spans Camelback Road, a busy arterial traversing northern Phoenix.

The Las Vegas Nordstrom store will be the fourth in a partnership with Westcor. Nordstrom anchors Westcor projects at Scottsdale's Fashion Square, SanTan Fashion Center in Chandler, Ariz., and FlatIron Crossing in Broomfield, Colo.

Nordstrom will offer fashion apparel, shoes and accessories for men, women and children. Customers are drawn to the company for its attention to customer service. Nordstrom Inc. has 99 stores in 22 states, including 68 full-line stores, 25 Nordstrom Racks, one clearance store, two freestanding shoe stores and three Faconnable boutiques.

"With Nordstrom as an anchor tenant, it will succeed. Las Vegas is on its way to becoming one of the premiere shopping destinations of the world."Richard Lee, expert on Las Vegas real estate.