excellence award

nordstrom inc. executives chose two footwear vendors ugg bailey button jimmy choo and ugg australia to receive the fashion retailers partner in excellence award this year, a

symbolic selection announced last week at its annual shareholders meeting here.

ugg tasmina

ugg bailey button boots is at the core of nordstroms corporate culture, president blake nordstrom told investors, recounting the fashion retailers start in 1901 as a seattle

shoe store where executives say the retailers well ugg rainier -known, dogged focus on customer service began.

i submit that those qualities and values of being on your hands and knees ugg classic tall as a shoe merchant apply today, said nordstrom, in outlining the companys recession-

survival strategy that includes trimming as much as $200 million in expenses this year.

the retailer also has cut prices an average of 10 grey tall ugg boots percent as part of a top-to-bottom edit of merchandise. additionally, the womens ugg boots excellent ugg boots company has

reduced inventory by 12 percent per square foot from a year earlier, which is in line with sales that, for 2009, are expected to decline 10 to 15 percent on a white ugg boots

5819 cardy comparable-store basis. last year, same-store sales decreased 9 percent.

but there are bright spots in nordstroms business, including sales of jimmy choo footwear and handbags, which increased 600 percent at nordstrom between 2005 and 2008.

at nordstroms annual meeting, jimmy choos ceo josh schulman praised the department stores classic tall ugg boots position in the luxe marketplace. for 15 years ive been telling

anybody who will listen that nordstrom has a unique ability chocolate ugg 5325 to speak to the customer about fashion and a unique ability to speak to the luxury customer,

schulman said.

ugg is another standout at nordstrom, as the retailers best-selling vendor and a two-time recipient of the partner award. peter

nordstrom, president of merchandising, told investors that 1 million pairs of uggs were sold classic tall uggs in november and december alone across the companys 111 full-line

stores and website. in december, ugg volume translated into 22,000 pairs per day, 1,800 per hour and 30 per minute.

baby winter boots jack minuk, ugg classic cardy boots evp and gmm of shoes, praised choo and ugg executives for being collaborative and opening lines of chestnut ultra tall ugg 5245 boots communication

that continue to produce outstanding results.

in the business as a whole, other pockets of strength have been the companys classic short ugg boots 61 nordstrom rack outlets, which for the first quarter of this year saw

same-store sales increase 1.2 percent. last year, rack comps gained 3.1 percent, in contrast to a 16.5 percent decline for full-line stores.

with the soft economy, outlet stores are the focus of expansion plans, ugg classic mini boot with eight stores slated to open this year, including one in manhattans union

square. for several years, nordstrom has been actively looking to locate a full-line store in new york.

meanwhile sundance ugg ugg classic tall boots boots , footwear last year comprised 21 percent of nordstroms net sales, or $1.72 billion, a 3.5 percent decline against 2007.