Zara, Nordstrom Join Growing List of Retailers Closing Stores amid Coronavirus Pandemic
Zara and Nordstrom are the latest fashion retailers temporarily shutting its doors in an effort to help stop the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Zara announced on Wednesday that it will temporarily close all U.S. locations. “We are actively monitoring updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local health authorities,” the brand said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. There is no word yet on when stores plan on reopening. But for now, shopping on zara.com and on its mobile app remain available.
According to the Independent, the brand’s parent company Inditex, which is based in Spain and also owns retailers Pull & Bear and Bershka, are temporarily closing stores in 39 countries — including 3,785 Zara locations globally. Those most affected areas include its native Spain and Italy, which are both on nationwide lockdowns.
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Other retailers have also pulled the plug on store operations for the time being, including the Swedish company H&M. The brand released a statement on Tuesday announcing all retail stores across the United States and Canada will close until April 2 to help weaken the spread of COVID-19. The company also said it would still support colleagues who are impacted by the closure by providing two weeks of continued pay. Online shopping services are still open, with free shipping “for the time being.”
North American chains like Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom have also made the call to shut down all stores until the end of the month.
On Tuesday, Nordstrom shared a statement on social media. “To help do our part in slowing the spread of COVID-19 we will temporarily close all ours stores for two weeks beginning Tuesday, March 17th.”
The company will continue to pay employees during the two-week period and provide “additional resources to help them through this challenging time.” Like other competitors, Nordstrom.com will still remain open for online orders.
A note for our Nordstrom Community during these hard times ❤️Learn more: https://t.co/fruwGPFkEu pic.twitter.com/JaMBNXOqHO
— Nordstrom (@Nordstrom) March 17, 2020
Jeff Gennette, Chairman and CEO of Macy’s, Inc., which also owns Bloomingdale’s and BlueMercury, released a statement saying, “The health and safety of our customers, colleagues and communities is our utmost priority. As a result of the recent COVID-19 developments, we have decided to temporarily close our stores.” All three retailers are expected to reopen on March 31st, while macys.com, bloomingdales.com and bluemercury.com will continue taking online orders.
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Saks Fifth Avenue announced late Tuesday that all stores will close for two weeks starting March 18, and like other retailers, it will continue supporting and paying its employees during the interim period.
Beauty favorites, including Sephora and Ulta have also closed its retail locations. Ulta shut its doors through “at least” March 31, while Sephora will remain closed until April 3.
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments and visit our coronavirus hub.
