March 4 (Reuters) - Department-store operator Nordstrom beat Wall Street expectations for quarterly comparable sales on Tuesday and announced the departure of Chief Financial Officer Cathy Smith, who will join Starbucks as its new finance chief.

Smith, 61, has been CFO at Nordstrom since 2023 and the company said it had initiated a search for her replacement.

The Nordstrom family teamed up with Mexican retailer Liverpool late last year to clinch a $4-billion deal to take the department-store chain private.

The company reported fourth-quarter comparable sales growth of 4.7%, compared with an estimate of 1.25%, according to data compiled by LSEG.

"Customers responded positively to the strength of our offering across both banners in the fourth quarter," said Chief Executive Officer Erik Nordstrom.

The company, which reported a net earnings increase of 23% to $165 million in the quarter ended February 1, said that it would not provide an annual forecast due to the pending transaction.

It was originally scheduled to report fourth-quarter results after markets close on Tuesday.