In an announcement on Thursday, Nordstrom said it’s set to close all of its Canadian stores—cutting down 2,500 jobs in the process. The Seattle-based retailer has 13 locations in Canada, including eight in Ontario. But it is expected to wind down its in-store operations by June.

"We entered Canada in 2014 with a plan to build and sustain a long-term business there. Despite our best efforts, we do not see a realistic path to profitability for the Canadian business,” Erik Nordstrom, chief executive officer of Nordstrom, said in a news release.

Torontonians will say goodbye to its flagship store at CF Eaton Centre as well as locations at Yorkdale Shopping Centre and CF Sherway Gardens.

For Canadian retail shoppers, history repeats itself as several big-time American retailers have closed down their stores in the past and left the Canadian market after failed launches. Here are the American retailers that have tried and failed in the Canadian market before.

Target

Target entered into the Canadian retail space in 2013 and had a short-lived operation. With 133 stores across Canada, the American retail giant announced that all its locations would close less than two years after first coming to Canada.

Target cited a profit plunge after their failed launch and a punch to their reputation with customers.

Sears

The long-time staple in Canada’s retail space closed the final doors of its remaining stores in 2018 after more than 65 years in the Canadian market.

The department store chain declared bankruptcy after facing massive losses. Its decision to shutter its remaining 130 shuttered in Canada left 15,000 people out of work.

Sam’s Club

The American membership-only retail chain, owned by Wal-Mart, closed all of its six stores by March 2009, eliminating 1,200 jobs. The chain operated in Etobicoke, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, London, Cambridge, and Pickering.

The wholesale operation—similar to Costco— first opened in Canada in 2003.

J. Crew

The American fashion retailer entered the Canadian market in 2011. It closed its Eaton Centre location in 2019 before filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the early months of the pandemic.

J. Crew had, with one of its flagship stores in Toronto, shuttered all of its remaining stores including Vaughan Mills and Toronto Premium Outlet. The first to open and the last to close was its Yorkdale location.

With files from The Press