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Home Depot going greener
The big orange wants to be greener. The Home Depot cut its U.S. store energy use by 2.6 billion kilowatt-hours since 2004, and now calls for a 20 percent reduction in kWh per square foot usage in its U.S. stores by 2015. The retailer also wants to shrink its greenhouse gas emissions in its domestic supply chain by 20 percent within the next five years.
Home Depot said it trimmed its U.S. stores' energy per square foot consumption by 16 percent since 2004. Six years ago, its energy usage was 25 kWh per square foot. Through upgrading store HVAC systems, aligning stocking hours more closely with store operating hours, using CFL bulbs and switching to T5 lighting, the company's U.S. store energy usage now stands at 21 kWh per square foot. The 2.6 billion kWh of energy saved is enough energy to power 203,000 homes for one year.
To reach its 20 kWh per square foot of energy usage by 2015, stores will move from 54 to 49 watt lighting, get more HVAC upgrades, install more white roofs and certain locations will shift stocking hours to align more closely with our store operating hours.
-- Posted March 8, 2010
CVS expanding in St. Louis market
CVS Pharmacy is continuing its push in the St. Louis market with a new store planned to open in Creve Coeur, Mo., with the purchase of 1.66 acres vacant land. CVS plans to build a 13,000-square-foot store at the site. In January, CVS opened four stores in St. Louis. It also plans to open a store in in Ballwin, Mo., this fall. CVS currently has 46 stores in Missouri and 251 in Illinois.
-- Posted March 5, 2010
Tax refunds + shoppers = retail splurging?
Last year, many Americans used their tax refunds to pay down debt or save for the future. Now, it appears that more plan to spend their tax refunds on big splurges once again. According to a new survey from the National Retail Federation, nearly 13 percent of people expecting a refund this year plan to treat themselves or their families to a major purchase like a television, furniture or car, up from 11 percent last year. Still, about 44 percent of those expecting a refund will use it to pay down debt, according to the survey, down from 48 percent in 2009. The poll, conducted in conjunction with market research firm BIGresearch, reached out to 8,560 consumers last month. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percent.
-- Posted March 4, 2010
Kohl's garners more green effort honors
Kohl's Department Stores is at it again. The retailer, which recently was named by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's as the No. 1 purchaser of green power among retailers for the first quarter of 2010, earned the EPA's Energy Star for an additional 110 stores. To earn the Energy Star, commercial buildings must rank in the top 25 percent of similar facilities for energy use, and release an average of 35 percent less dioxide. Kohl's also says it is the first specialty department store to earn Silver-level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) initial certification of new store prototype.
-- Posted March 3, 2010
Caribou Coffee in process of makeover
It's a whole new look for Caribou Coffee. The new look ranges from the subtle -- brown cup covers -- to the sublime: a new-looking caribou logo built out of a coffee bean. The company's theme remains central -- "Life is short. Stay awake for it." These and other steps aim to reconnect with customers. They are part of a yearlong revitalization of a brand that was languishing a year ago, when the company reported a $16.8 million loss. Now, Caribou has added messages to coffee cups and napkins, store decor and -- coming soon -- billboards and other outdoor venues that designers hope will resonate with consumers. Check out the whole story here .
Wal-mart plans to renovate
more stores in metro Atlanta
Wal-mart's drive to modernize stores with wider aisles, brighter lighting, lower shelving and new signs is continuing in the metro Atlanta, according to the Atlanta Journal. Renovations started in February. Renovations started on Georgia stores last year and will continue this year. The renovations are part of a new merchandising strategy by the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer. The company is removing clutter and bargain bins in favor of more modern store displays. The move partly imitates big box rivals Target and Best Buy, which have used sophisticated merchandising strategies for years.
-- Posted March 2, 2010
NRA: Operators feeling optimistic
Looks like there is some optimism out there in the restaurant industry. Operators are expressing more confidence in the industry’s outlook, despite continued declines in same-store sales and customer traffic. According to the January results from the National Restaurant Association monthly Restaurant Performance Index, industry expectations rose above the 100 mark for the first time in nine months, even though the overall RPI dropped to 98.3, down 0.3 percent from December’s level. The report said that “operators are relatively optimistic about improving sales growth and economic conditions in the months ahead, and their capital spending plans rose to the highest level in five months.” The RPI, which is based on responses to the NRA’s Restaurant Industry Tracking Survey, measures the health and outlook of the restaurant industry on a monthly basis through such indicators as traffic, labor and capital expenditures.
Books-A-Million opens two more stores
Books-A-Million is growing. The book retailer opened stores in New Jersey (in the Paramus Mall, near New York City) and Pennsylvania (the Willow Grove Park shopping center outside of Philadelphia). The stores open on the heels of the retailer’s first two Pennsylvania locations, which opened last week in Lancaster and Philadelphia.
-- Posted March 1, 2010
TJX Companies plans to expand,
launch new concept
The TJX Companies, which owns T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods and A.J. Wright, is embarking on an aggressive expansion strategy, a move that could see it potentially double in size. According a story in the Financial Times , the growth initiative was spurred by a "paradigm shift" in U.S. consumer spending habits.Company officials said TJX could increase its store count to 4,200 from its current 2,700 units. Under the plan, the retailer will launch a smaller concept store in spring 2011, potentially growing to 100 locations. TJX could open as many as 130 stores this year, mostly under the T.J. Maxx and Marshalls banners. Last year, it opened 91.
-- Posted Febuary 26, 2010
Good news: Home-improvement chains report beginnings of recovery
Home Depot and Lowe's are reporting that consumers are starting to spruce up their homes once again, as both chains reported improved earnings and sales increases in key stores and markets. According to a New York Times story, of Home Depot’s top 40 markets in the United States, all but two showed year-over-year improvement in the most recent reporting period, while Lowe’s said sales of flooring, cabinets and countertops were strong, a sign that consumers are taking on more costly projects. See the story here .
General Growth Properties to
split company to exit bankruptcy
Mall operator General Growth Properties plans to split into two companies as part of a plan to lift itself out of one of the largest real estate bankruptcy cases in corporate history, according to the New York Times. Under the plan, Brookfield Asset Management, a large real estate investment firm, would invest $2.63 billion.
The proposal will also pit General Growth investors against one another. One of the proposal’s main architects is the hedge fund manager William A. Ackman, who sits on General Growth’s board and owns big stakes in the company’s equity and debt, but the company’s unsecured creditors’ committee has raised objections to the plan. See story here .
-- Posted Febuary 25, 2010
Walmart plans to expand in Canada in '10
Walmart Canada will open 35 to 40 supercenters in 2010. According to a story in BusinessWeek, the projects will include new stores, relocations of existing stores, store expansions and store remodels, representing a combined investment of almost half a billion dollars in Canadian communities.
The supercenters are expected to generate approximately 6,500 store and construction jobs. Specific store locations will be announced during the coming weeks and months. The new additions will bring the chain’s total number of stores in Canada to 325 from 280.
In other news, Wal-Mart is investing C$115 million in a sustainable, refrigerated distribution center in Balzac, Alberta. The retailer expects the center, which will create 1,400 jobs, to open in the fall.
Going green: Darden unveils
its sustainability strategy
The number continue to mount. The most recent restaurant making a move toward green is Darden Restaurants, which includes Red Lobster, Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse. Darden company officials said LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building standards will be incorporated at all new restaurants and some remodel. The initiative is part of the company's larger sustainability goal of limiting its impact on the environment while also enhancing operational efficiency.
As part of the new program, Darden is planning eight "learning lab" restaurants designed to meet LEED standards. Following the lead of its first, a new Olive Garden, which opened last month in Jonesboro, Ark., the company will incorporate such green design elements as recycled building materials and energy-efficient equipment in the kitchen and restrooms. Another Olive Garden and two Red Lobsters are scheduled to open in 2010, with 2011 plans calling for the building of another Olive Garden, two Red Lobster units and a LongHorn Steakhouse.
Marco's Pizza making huge push in Georgia market
Marco's Pizza, with more than 200 restaurants in 17 states and the Bahamas, plans to open 42 restaurants in Georgia. The Toledo, Ohio based company is working with franchisee YaFei Zheng, who already operates three Marco's Pizzas in the Atlanta area. The remaining restaurants will be in metro Atlanta, as well as the southern and eastern parts of the state.
-- Posted Febuary 24, 2010
Office Depot to open 'green' retail stores
Office Depot is pursuing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Commercial Interiors (CI) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for all new Office Depot retail stores, beginning in June 2010.
Realizing that the retailer does not always have control of the building – especially when occupying an existing site – Office Depot will make sustainable choices wherever possible and seek LEED CI certification.
Company officials say that 14 new Office Depot store locations will be LEED CI certified, starting with its newest location in Austin, Texas, which is scheduled to open in June 2010. At each of these locations, Office Depot will look to mirror the impressive energy and monetary savings seen at Office Depot’s first LEED Gold-Certified store in Austin, which opened in April 2008. See whole initiative here
Foot Locker tests Run Store in NYC
Foot Locker is testing a running-themed store on 14th Street in New York City, according to SportsOneSource Media. The store, called RUN by Foot Locker, was opened at a former Foot Locker location near Union Square at 32 East 14th St. It carries the same brands the Foot Locker chain already carries although focused in the run category. Company officials said the concept is something new, and that they'll see how it works from there.
Books Inc. eyes new success formula
Just add it to the list of daunting challenges the co-owner of San Francisco's Books Inc. has confronted in the past since she and her husband shepherded the 149-year-old bookseller out of bankruptcy in 1996. "I don't know if there's been a time we haven't seen ourselves as being in crisis," co-owner and CEO Michael Tucker, who is also president of the American Booksellers Association, told the San Francisco Chronicle.
One could say the couple protest a little too much. Books Inc. ( www.booksinc.net) has thrived, at least compared with a host of Bay Area independents and "independent chains." Icons like Cody's Books and Stacey's Books are but memories, as are local branches of B. Dalton. Menlo Park's Kepler's Books, San Francisco's Cover to Cover, and Berkeley's Black Oak Books survived execution courtesy of last-minute transfusions from local investors and community donations. It was the Tuckers who kept the lights on at the failing A Clean Well-Lighted Place for Books in Opera Plaza when they took it over in 2007.
Recipe for survival: How has Books Inc., with its 11 stores in the Bay Area and one in Disneyland, done it? By staying away mostly from malls, for one thing - unlike, say, Barnes & Noble Inc., which in recent weeks shut down superstores in Oakland's Jack London Square and Richmond's Hilltop Mall.
And by, as noted by The Chronicle's Carolyn Said, who reported on the opening of Books Inc.'s newest store, in Berkeley, last year, keeping to a smaller "footprint" - stores measuring more like 3,500 square feet than 35,000 (unlike, for example, the dearly departed Cody's) - and locating in neighborhoods with plentiful foot traffic, like San Francisco's Laurel Village.
It's also very careful about costs, a lesson learned from its near-death experience in the 1990s. "We're careful about everything - about returns, payroll, payroll hours allotted to each store," said Scott Tucker. As with other independents, much attention is also paid to the needs and wants of the surrounding community. See complete story here.
-- Posted Febuary 23, 2010
They're baaack! CompUSA returns
with new retail concept
After its big liquidation in 2007, the electronics chain CompUSA is returning with a new store concept called Retail 2.0, according to a recent story in the Houston Post. Under new ownership, the chain's first Houston store opened a couple of stores in the Texas area, including El Paso. A few more are scheduled to open soon, the paper reported.
The new store concepts involves accessing the Internet from computers throughout the store, so shoppers can research any product in stock. By touching a computer screen, customers instantly receive details on a particular product. They are even encouraged to comparison shop in the store, as they would online at home.
CompUSA has 30 stores in the United States (all of which has adopted to the Retail 2.0 format). The chain is owned by Systemax (Port Washington, N.Y.), which acquired the CompUSA brands, customer data bases and 16 existing store leases in 2008. Systemax, which also owns online electronics retailer TigerDirect, recently acquired the brands, patents and customer data bases for Circuit City, which currently operates online only. See the whole story here
Jones Apparel closing more specialty stores, focusing on outlets
Jones Apparel Group, which features brands such as Nine West, Anne Klein, Easy Spirit and ShoeWoo, plans to close 166 specialty retail stores in 2010, according the CoStar Group. While its parent company hasn’t revealed specific locations yet, it said most will be mall-based specialty retail stores to support the brand’s focus on its outlet stores. In 2009, the retailer shuttered 99 locations and opened 20, bringing its store total to 938 locations. Of those stores, more than 300 are specialty retail stores. Jones' outlet store business accounts for 584 U.S. stores across five of its brands.
-- Posted Febuary 22, 2010
Write it down: 2010 executive
retreat schedule set
If you’re looking to build strong relationships with key industry decision makers, the Commercial Construction Executive Retreats are the place for you. Our events provide: high-level conversations on issues and trends driving your business (roundtable discussions); diverse relationship building activities (think golf); and evening networking events (dinner and cocktails).
This year’s retreats are:
Retail Retreat
September 23-26, 2010
The Broadmoor
(Colorado Springs, Colo)
Hospitality Retreat
October 21-24, 2010
Barnsley Gardens
(Atlanta, Ga.)
For more information on attending one of these events, e-mail Editor Michael J. Pallerino at
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For more information on sponsorship opportunities, contact Publisher David Corson at 770-781-2501 or
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