STORE SPACES

Santa Barbara, Calif. - SuperValu Inc., which owns Albertson’s, said Tuesday that two Albertson’s locations in Santa Barbara, Calif., have achieved zero waste classification in their daily operations.

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.

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.

New York City -- Verizon Wireless has joined the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star program. Seventy-five Verizon Wireless Communications Stores have already earned the Energy Star designation for superior energy performance.

Under the partnership, Verizon Wireless pledges to measure and track energy performance at hundreds of its stores, switching centers, cell sites and other facilities throughout the United States.

San Francisco — Gap has joined the growing ranks of retailers opening holiday pop-ups. The chain has teamed with the New York City hipster publication Cool Hunting to open a temporary store at Gap's 5th Avenue and 54th Street gallery space. It will be open through Jan. 2, 2011, and feature more than 100 products hand-selected by Cool Hunting's editors.

Chicago -- The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) on Thursday launched two, long-awaited green building programs: LEED for Retail, and the LEED Volume Program (usgbc.org/leed/retail).

Miami -- Retailers are continuing to invest in sustainability initiatives, even during tough economic times, according to a new report by RSR Research entitled "Lean and Green: Sustainable Practices Are Changing Retail, Benchmark 2010.”

Bellevue, Wash. -- Touchscreen solution-provider Intava said Thursday that Ethan Allen has selected Intava Vector to power the retailer’s new touchscreens in participating Ethan Allen Design Centers nationwide.

The touch screens showcase Ethan Allen’s designs using interactive technology that combines photos, videos and details on all available furnishings and accessories. The technology gives consumers the ability to discover, select and visualize home interiors through intuitive interactions with the screen.