Bloomingdale's

LLBean.com provided the highest-rated customer service of all major online retailers during the month of November 2013, according to the Stella Monthly Ranking from the StellaService customer service analysis firm.

L.L. Bean was ranked number one for overall customer service and also in the email customer service area.

SierraTradingPost.com took top honors for phone customer service, Sears.com had the highest ranked shipping customer service and Bloomingdales.com has the best returns customer service.

Macy’s plans to build a major direct-to-consumer fulfillment center near Owasso in Tulsa County, Okla., to support continued sales growth driven by Macy’s omnichannel strategy.

The site is strategically located near the intersection of 76th St. North and Lakewood Ave., about 12 miles north of Tulsa. The company is expected to invest more than $170 million in the facility.
 

New York -- Digital sizing station company Me-Ality said Monday that Bloomingdale’s has partnered with Me-Ality to provide enhanced denim services by installing digital sizing stations in five Bloomingdale’s stores.

San Francisco -- Westfield San Francisco Centre will be home to the city’s first Microsoft retail store, slated to open on April 25.

Other mall additions include Samsonite, Color Me Mine ceramics studio, Amy’s Hallmark and pop-up store Celestine SF.

New York -- Fashion Outlets of Chicago, a new mall due to open in August near O'Hare International Airport, on Tuesday announced its tenant list.

The two-level, 530,000-sq.-ft. center will be anchored by a Bloomingdale's outlet, Last Call by Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th and Forever 21.

Cincinnati -- Macy's earned a better-than-expected $730 million in the fourth quarter, compared with $745 million a year earlier when it booked one-time gains from the sale of store leases. The department store retailer forecast an annual profit for the recently completed year that surpassed analysts’ estimates and provided new guidance for continued growth and progress for 2013.

New York -- Department store retailers reported strong sales in January as shoppers responded positively to post-holiday clearance events.  

Overall, the 20 retailers reporting January comps saw an average rise of 5.1%, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers, which beat the mall trade group’s 3% forecasted rise.

By Bradley W. Snyder, [email protected]