After 31 years at Westfield’s Horton Plaza, upscale retailer Nordstrom is pulling out of the Downtown San Diego market, with plans to move its full-service department store to Westfield UTC. The Horton Plaza store will keep its doors open until the relocation is complete in 2017. Nordstrom stores president Jamie Nordstrom suggests the store's performance has slipped in step with increased e-commerce activity, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune. The 180 employees at the Horton Plaza store are being offered jobs at Nordstrom’s seven other stores in the region.

Westfield US COO Greg Miles says his company is “delighted” Nordstrom is moving its flagship San Diego store to Westfield UTC, which recently underwent a revitalization. Westfield is adding new specialty shops, restaurants, entertainment, sustainable design features and family-friendly amenities at the UTC location. Nordstrom Inc president Erik Nordstrom said Nordstrom’s latest store design concepts will be incorporated at the Westfield UTC store.

Westfield has announced plans to acquire the 144k SF building at Horton Plaza, but has not disclosed what will replace the Nordstrom store. Nordstrom is the last of the original anchors to leave. [SDUT]