Corporate Responsibility

Sainsbury's will become the first supermarket retailer in the United Kingdom whose stores will be lit entirely by LED lighting.   The retailer is partnering with GE's Current division in an extensive lighting upgrade. Current will upgrade 250,000 LED fixtures across more than 450 Sainsbury's stores, cutting the chain's lighting energy consumption by 58% and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 3.4% annually.  

The ink is barely dry on Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods Markets, yet the natural grocer’s CEO implied that “big ideas” are already in the works.  

Green Top Grocery has opened and will anchor The Foundry, a center situated on a boundary between manufacturing and residential neighborhoods in Bloomington, Minnesota.   Green Top could represent the burgeoning of a new player in the fresh and organic grocery segment in shopping centers: the local cooperative. Owned by 1,500-plus local residents, the Green Top co-op attempts to source products from farmers and vendors within a 100-mile radius of Bloomington.  

West Elm is adding to its growing retail footprint.   The home furnishings and decor brand, a division of Williams-Sonoma, will open its first location in Phoenix, in the revitalized Uptown Plaza shopping center, on June 29. The 11,000-sq.-ft. store will include a curated assortment of local products highlighting 10 Arizona-based makers and designers.   

Amazon’s innovative re-training program has hit an all-time high.   

Already under the gun to improve business operations, Whole Foods Markets’ founder and CEO finds himself in a new struggle.  

It appears that L'Oreal has settled on a buyer for The Body Shop.   The French cosmetics giant is in exclusive talks to sell its Body Shop division to Brazilian make-up company Natura Cosmeticos, Bloomberg reported. The reported price: $1.1 billion,   Natura is the largest Brazilian cosmetics company.   The transaction would be subject to regulatory approval and would be expected to close later this year.    

Consumers rank Wegmans, Publix Super Markets, and Amazon.com as the top three companies when it comes to corporate social responsibility efforts.   

Macy’s is toying with a lofty idea that could create more traffic at its Herald Square store in New York City.  

Walmart shared the results of its 47th annual shareholders meeting held June 2.