The department store chain said it is not complaining on competitive grounds, but objects because its own lease requires the center management to get Liberty House's approval for any such expansion.
"Liberty House has not consented to this expansion and it views the announcement of the proposed growth as premature and unwarranted," Liberty House said in a news statement.
Ala Moana Center management said it was not in a position to comment late this morning. Nordstrom Inc. is a specialty retailer of apparel, shoes and accessories for men, women and children and is based on the West Coast.
Liberty House said it was told of the plan after 6 p.m. on Wednesday by General Growth Management of Hawaii Inc., which manages the center for the owner, Daiei Corp. Liberty House said the center should first study the impacts of the changes, including a plan for a new nine-level parking structure on Kona Street, on the mauka side of the center.
Barbara Tunno, a Liberty House spokeswoman, said her company objected before to some Ala Moana plans, such as the upcoming addition of a Neiman Marcus store, not because of the competition but because it saw the expansion plans as ill-conceived and bound to snarl traffic and parking. That dispute was resolved, she said.
Now, however, the center wants to place a Nordstrom store in a parking lot area on the mauka side of the Palm Court shops, Liberty House said. That is in addition to the previously announced Neiman Marcus expansion into the makai parking lot and a proposed expansion into an area next to Kapiolani Boulevard for an entertainment-retail complex.
Liberty House said General Growth officials cited a letter of intent that Daiei signed with Nordstrom, which includes numerous conditions, proposing the expansion.
"Liberty House intends to closely review and monitor the actions of General Growth and Daiei in this matter," the statement said.
Liberty House said it will consult with appropriate experts on any plans it is shown, to ensure compliance with lease rights Liberty House has held since it was one of the pioneer tenants in the 1950s.
Liberty House has its own Nordstrom connection. Nordstrom operates the footwear business in the Liberty House stores as a concession.