Nordstrom Inc.announced it named veteran Nordstrom leader Karen McKibbin president of Nordstrom Canada.Nordstrom also announced its entry into the Canadian market with plans to begin serving customers with its first full-line stores in fall 2014.
Nordstrom plans to open stores in Cadillac Fairview premier shopping centres located in Calgary,Ottawa,Toronto and Vancouver.Ms.McKibbin has 27-year tenure with Nordstrom in a wide variety of leadership roles from merchandising to regional management,most recently serving as Vice President and Regional Manager of Northern California and Hawaii.
Ms.McKibbin began her career with the company in 1985 as a stockperson.Over the years,her assignments included salesperson,department manager,buyer and store manager.
She was initially named vice president in 1999 when she took on the role of Los Angeles Regional Manager.Since then,she has led three additional regions–the Northeast region where she pioneered the company's entry into the competitive Boston market;the South region where she supported the company's fastest growing region;and Northern California and Hawaii,where she had the company's strongest comparable sales growth in California.
"Karen has had proven success in every assignment she's ever had and made us a better company,"said Erik Nordstrom,president of Nordstrom Stores."Her innate understanding of our culture and her dedication to offering our customers a superior experience made her the easy choice for our entry into Canada."
"I have had the opportunity to work with and learn from an ever-changing customer base,and to be part of leadership teams that have produced sustained growth,"said Karen McKibbin.
"I am thrilled to be moving to Canada to support a new generation of Nordstrom employees,nearly all of whom will be Canadian.I am also excited to work to offer terrific service to customers and to listen and learn from Canadians about how Nordstrom can serve them best."
Ms.McKibbin will live in Seattle for the next year and then move to Toronto with her husband in anticipation of the first Nordstrom store opening in Calgary in two years.
Nordstrom,Inc.is one of the nation's leading fashion specialty retailers.
