DALLAS, Jan 17, 2004/ FW/ --- Santa Claus left Seattle-based Nordstrom a big gift last Christmas, giving the luxury retailer sales of $941.8 million during the holiday season, an increase of 12.2 percent compared to sales of $839.2 million last year. Same-store sales increased 9.1 percent.

On the report published Jan 8, Nordstrom also said that preliminary quarter-to-date sales of $1.6 billion increased 11.4 percent compared to quarter-to-date 2002 sales of $1.4 billion. Quarter-to-date same-store sales increased 8.4 percent.

Preliminary year-to-date sales of $6.1 billion increased 8.2 percent compared to year-to-date 2002 sales of $5.7 billion. Year-to-date same-store sales increased 4.1 percent.

The company also announced last week that it has signed a letter of intent to open at Phipps Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia. Nordstrom will take over space previously occupied by Lord and Taylor, a division of the May Department Stores Company.

The Seattle-based retailer is scheduled to occupy about 135,000 square feet at Phipps Plaza where it will join Parisian and Saks as anchors. Nordstrom at Phipps Plaza will be two levels and is tentatively scheduled to open in the spring of 2005.

Phipps Plaza was built in 1968 and acquired by Simon in 1998. The Nordstrom store at Phipps Plaza will be the retailer's third full-line store in Georgia, with stores at Perimeter Mall in Atlanta and at the Mall of Georgia in Buford.

“We are thrilled to be opening a store at Phipps Plaza. We've wanted to have a store in Buckhead from the moment we opened at Perimeter Mall in 1998," said Geevy Thomas, executive vice president and south regional manager for Nordstrom in a statement.

"With traffic becoming increasingly challenging in the greater Atlanta metro area, we're excited to offer a third store to area shoppers and increase our market presence," he added.