Retail

Toronto - Opterus announced that specialty apparel retailer Roots Canada Ltd. has eliminated the use of e-mail at their stores and now remotely manages its 119 locations entirely through Opterus’ Store Ops-Center. Roots, which branded the solution Roots Ops-Center, has taken advantage of Opterus’ Web-based technologies to streamline business processes and improve communications with its stores.

Washington - Amazon.com, Nordstrom and J.C. Penney are just a few of the retailers that made the grade on the list of the top 10 retailers for customer service as selected by shoppers in the sixth annual NRF Foundation/American Express Customers’ Choice survey.

The survey, which asked 9,291 shoppers which retailer provides the best customer service, was conducted by BIGresearch. In alphabetical order, the top 10 retailers for customer service are:

• Amazon.com

• J.C. Penney

Bentonville, Ark. - Wal-Mart Stores announced Monday that it is buying a controlling stake in South Africa's Massmart in an approximately $2 billion deal. The investment gives the discounter a substantial presence in South Africa and paves the way for further expansion across the continent.  Wal-Mart International president and CEO Doug McMillon made clear his company is pursuing a regional strategy.

Washington, D.C. - Douglas Development announced that Mike Isabella, former executive chef at Mediterranean restaurant  Zaytinya, and Bravo’s Top Chef  contestant, has leased 5,000 sq. ft. in a three-level Douglas Development-owned property at 707 6th Street, NW, in Washington, D.C.

Isabella will open a two-level Italian-inspired restaurant, Graffiato, in spring 2011.

New York - Nordstrom is putting its foot in the bridal business, opening an in-store bridal boutique called the Wedding Suite at its Chicago flagship on North Michigan Avenue, according to the Chicago Tribune. The department store retailer is positioning itself as a one-stop shop for wedding parties, and will unveiling 14 bridal salons at stores nationwide over the next six weeks, the report said.