DALLAS, Apr 8, 2004/ FW/ --- Nothing seem to be stopping specialty retailer Nordstrom as 2004 keeps giving it good financial performance. Today, the Seattle based company reported preliminary sales of $620.8 million April , an increase of 19.8 percent compared to sales of $518.2 million last year. Same-store sales increased 15.9 percent.

From the same financial release, preliminary quarter-to-date sales of $1.1 billion increased 18.8 percent compared to sales of $0.9 billion in 2003. Quarter-to-date same-store sales increased 14.9 percent.

Based on quarter-to-date sales and gross profit performance, the Company is now expecting first quarter earnings per share to exceed prior guidance of $0.23 to $0.28. As a percent to sales, quarter to date gross profit is trending over 200 basis points higher than the prior year.

Last month, the company opened a store at the South Park Mall in Charlotte, N.C. The 144,000-square foot store is the retailer’s second store in North Carolina, offering a wide selection of quality shoes, clothing and accessories for women, men and children.

The merchandise offering includes 35,000 tubes of lipstick, 3,000 handbags, 148 women and men's fragrances, 3,000 ties and 4,000 men's dress shirts in 63 different sizes.

The wide selection includes Nordstrom exclusives such as Faconnable, Classiques Entier, Halogen and Caslon. The store also offers Personal Touch, a complimentary wardrobing service, Marketplace Cafe, Ebar (espresso bar), live piano music, a family restroom, open-sell cosmetics, in-store alterations and tailor shop and a shoe shine stand.

Last month, Nordstrom also announced that it has signed a letter of intent with The Forbes Company to open a new store at The Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The store will be approximately 144,000 square feet and is tentatively scheduled to open in spring 2006. The new store is planned to occupy a portion of the site where Burdines currently exists.

Nordstrom opened a store in Wellington last November. This will be the company's third store in greater Palm Beach County. The retailer opened its first store in Florida in 2000 at The Town Center at Boca Raton in Boca Raton.

When it opens in spring 2006, the Nordstrom location at The Gardens will be the company's seventh location in the state. The company also has plans to open its sixth location at Dadeland Mall on November 12, 2004.

Other locations in the state include: The Village of Merrick Park in Coral Gables, International Plaza in Tampa, The Mall at Wellington Green in Wellington, and The Florida Mall in Orlando. The company also has one Nordstrom Rack store, the company's off-price retail division, at Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise.