According to a report in the Financial Times, Nordstrom could go private again after 39 years as a public company. Members of the founding Nordstrom family have formed a group looking at this possibility as they navigate the slowdown in sales across the industry. The family group holds more than a third of the stock and the move would require them to acquire 100% of the outstanding shares. There is no guarantee that an offer would be made or accepted by the company. The prospect of a buyout sent the shares in Nordstrom up by 18%, giving the company a market value of $8bn. Nordstrom has seen better results than many recently but has not been immune since same-store sales have fallen in four of the five last quarters and shares have also gone down recently.