Nordstrom executives have talked a lot recently about their desire to reimagine the wholesale/retail relationship. Today, the company announced a deal that does just that with ASOS, the popular fashion online retailer based in Europe.
Nordstrom has taken a stake in four ASOS-owned brands – Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT.
ASOS acquired the brands earlier this year from previous owner Arcadia Group, which went bankrupt.
Nordstrom has been aligned with Topshop and Topman since 2012 and had exclusive retail distribution rights for the brands in the U.S.
Now, Nordstrom will have exclusive multi-channel distribution rights for the brands in North America, including Canada, and own a minority stake globally. Nordstrom will also be the only brick-and-mortar retailer for the brands worldwide.
ASOS will retain operational and creative control of the brands.
Nordstrom and ASOS are partnering in other ways as well. Customers who place orders on asos.com will have the option of picking them up at Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack stores this fall.
In addition, the two companies are in discussions on how Nordstrom can create a “multi-channel showcase” for other ASOS brands.
Nordstrom can offer the online retailer a big presence in North America – Nordstrom has 350 stores and logs nearly 2 billion annual online visits to company-owned websites.
