SEATTLE _ Members of the Nordstrom family are considering taking the Seattle-based fashion retailer private, the company said Thursday.
The company's board of directors has formed a special committee of its independent members to consider any possible transaction.
The move comes at a time when retailers generally are struggling to cope with consumers' growing penchant for shopping online. Nordstrom has done better than most retailers in adapting, but sales at its big mainline stores have suffered.
The Nordstrom family members _ company co-presidents Blake W. Nordstrom, Peter E. Nordstrom and Erik B. Nordstrom; president of stores James E. Nordstrom; chairman emeritus Bruce A. Nordstrom; and Anne E. Gittinger _ have not made any proposal yet, the company said.
The group owns 51.8 million shares, representing approximately 31.2 percent of the company's outstanding stock, it said in a regulatory filing Thursday.
The company, founded as a shoe store in 1901, went public in 1978.
Nordstrom shares were up 15 percent in early trading Thursday in New York after the announcement.
The company's market capitalization _ the value of all shares _ is about $6.8 billion.
The stock closed Wednesday at $40.48. Nordstrom shares have traded between $35.01 and $62.82 in the past year.
Nordstrom operates 354 stores in 40 states, including 122 full-line stores in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico; 221 Nordstrom Rack stores; two Jeffrey boutiques; and two clearance stores. It also operates online through Nordstrom.com, Nordstromrack.com and HauteLook.
