Robert B. Goebel General Contractor Inc., of Spokane, has begun working on tenant improvements at the new location of a Nordstrom Rack store at the Spokane Valley Plaza, at 14108 E. Indiana, just west of the Spokane Valley Mall.

General Growth Properties Inc., of Chicago, which owns Spokane Valley Plaza through Spokane Mall LLC, declines to disclose the cost of the improvements, but a city of Spokane Valley permit for the work lists a value of $1.2 million for the project.

Seattle-based Nordstrom Inc. plans to relocate its Nordstrom Rack outlet there from NorthTown Mall, says Colin Johnson, a Seattle-based Nordstrom spokesman.

It is taking a space that formerly housed a Linens 'N Things outlet in a strip mall that also includes Old Navy, T.J. Maxx, and Wholesale Sports Outdoor Outfitters stores.

Johnson says Nordstrom hopes to create a store layout in its new Nordstrom Rack location that is efficient for customer check-out and takes advantage of the increased space.

The new location will have 30,000 square feet of space, giving it about 20 percent more retail space than the company's NorthTown Mall location has, he says.

"We've been in Spokane for 36 years, so it's a really important area for us," Johnson says. The company has operated its Nordstrom Rack store at NorthTown Mall since 2000.

Nordstrom Rack stores sell discounted apparel, accessories, and shoes from Nordstrom stores and the company's online store at Nordstrom.com.

The company likely will hire about 15 additional employees for the new location when it opens at the end of October, but expects to retain the store's current employees, too, Johnson says.