Nordstrom's discount brand, Nordstrom Rack, has been a key growth driver for the company in recent years. According to the search results:Nordstrom Rack Revenues

• In Q4 2023 (ended Feb 3, 2024), Nordstrom Rack sales grew 14.6% year-over-year to $1.43 billion.
• For the full fiscal year 2023, Nordstrom Rack sales declined by a modest 0.6%.
• Nordstrom Rack generates over 40% of new customers for the company.

Comparison to Ross Stores (ROST)To compare Nordstrom Rack's performance to Ross Stores (ROST), we can look at their respective revenue figures:

• In Q1 2024, Ross Stores reported revenue of $4.86 billion, up 8.1% year-over-year.
• For the full fiscal year 2024 (ending January 2024), Ross Stores is projected to have revenue of $20.377 billion, up 8.99% year-over-year.

While Nordstrom does not break out Rack's revenues separately for the full year, the Q4 2023 Rack revenue of $1.43 billion is significantly lower than Ross Stores' quarterly revenue of $4.86 billion in Q1 2024.Therefore, based on the available data, Ross Stores currently has substantially higher revenues compared to Nordstrom's Rack discount brand. However, Nordstrom is relying on Rack as a key growth engine, opening new stores and investing in the brand to drive future sales growth.

Nordstrom (JWN) has expressed interest in going private for several reasons. As a public company, Nordstrom faces significant scrutiny, regulatory filings, and pressure to meet quarterly earnings targets from Wall Street analysts and investors. Going private would allow the company more flexibility to make strategic decisions without the constant pressure of public markets.The founding Nordstrom family, including CEO Erik Nordstrom and President Pete Nordstrom, who collectively own around 9.5% of outstanding shares, have shown interest in taking the company private. In 2017, Nordstrom formed a special committee to evaluate a previous bid by the family to go private, but that effort ultimately failed in 2018.While no specific proposed price has been disclosed for the current interest in going private, any deal would likely need to be at a premium to the current trading price to incentivize existing public shareholders to tender their shares.One potential factor driving the family's interest could be the value of Nordstrom's company-owned real estate assets. However, the search results do not provide any specific valuation figures for Nordstrom's real estate holdings on a per-share basis. Real estate can sometimes be a valuable asset for retailers looking to go private, as it provides collateral for financing the deal and potential for monetization down the line. In summary, Nordstrom is interested in going private to escape public market pressures, with the founding family expressing interest in pursuing a deal, potentially motivated by the value of the company's real estate holdings, though a specific valuation is not provided in the search results.