Department Store

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.

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.

New York - Macy’s has debuted a new environment for one of its signature businesses—women’s shoes—at its store in Oak Brook, Ill. The plan is for elements of the updated format to be implemented in additional locations going forward.

The revamp, designed by Charles Sparks + Company, Westchester, Ill., has a clean, modern look. It features “runway” fixtures, sweeping lines and monolithic linear shelving concepts. A semi-transparent screen-like segmentation of spaces allows trend statements to flow easily within the overall plan.

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

Disney Store has opened its largest and most ambitious store to date -- smack in the middle of Manhattan’s Times Square. The 20,000-sq.ft., two-level Disney emporium is about five times bigger than most Disney stores, with a layout that is divided by the company’s most popular franchises.