Corporate Responsibility

Three groups have joined together to empower commercial building landlords and tenants to improve energy efficiency in leased space and reap up to $5 billion in annual energy savings.   The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), and the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) are launching a coordinated national effort, called the Landlord-Tenant Energy Partnership, to reduce energy use across billions of square feet of leased space.    

In addition to posting its earnings, Pier 1 announced a plan to protect the company from potential takeover bids.    On Tuesday, the home decor chain announced a “Rights Protection Agreement,” which will protect itself from any single shareholder seeking to acquire a 10% stake or more, as summarized in an article in MarketWatch.  

The key to success is customer satisfaction. By arming itself with a fleet of “great personnel,” The Container Store is always ready to deliver top-notch store-level service. This message was delivered during “Doing Well by Doing Good — How to Build Trust and Win the Modern Customer,” a topic discussed yesterday at “Retail’s Digital Summit 2016.” The event, sponsored by Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Federation, was held in Dallas.

Knowing business is not just about sales, Staples leads the charge when it comes to responsible business practices.   The chain’s positive impact on society — and the planet, as a whole — has earned Staples a place on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the thirteenth year in a row. The global benchmark weighs corporate responsibility and sustainability performance among the largest 2,500 companies listed on the Dow Jones Global Total Stock Market Index.   

Staples has chosen a company veteran as its new CEO.   The retailer on Monday named Shira Goodman as its president and CEO and as a member of its board of directors, effective immediately.  Goodman, who has been been with Staples 24 years, has been serving as interim CEO since May when she took over for Ron Sargent, who resigned in the wake of the company’s failed attempt to acquire rival Office Deport.    

If Yahoo’s data breach announcement yesterday is any indication, cyber-attacks are more prevalent than ever — and gaining momentum.  

In case you missed it, a national Higher Ground Moral Day of Action took place Monday at 30 state capitols across the country and in Washington, D.C. An organization of national and local progressive faith leaders called Moral Revival planned the events to deliver their "Higher Ground Moral Declaration." They called on politicians at all levels “to move away from extremist politics and policies that benefit the few and move toward policies and laws that are just and fair and guarantee a better life for the majority of the people.”

North American real estate owners and developers ratcheted up their green profiles markedly this year, though they still lag global trendsetters, according to the latest results of an annual sustainability study.   In GRESB’s annual environmental assessment of real estate developers and investment trusts, North American companies averaged a score of 59 out of a possible hundred, a five-point rise from last year and just shy of the global average of 60.  

A new report makes the case for taking a standardized approach to rapidly rollout of solar rooftop installations may    An analysis by the Retail Industry Leaders Association and The Solar Foundation found that Whole Foods Market’s approach to rooftop solar installations in multiple facilities could be a valuable model for other retailers to consider.  

Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. has won court approval to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy.   The chain’s reorganization plan was approved by the court on Tuesday. Under the plan, the chain will give all its stock to affiliates of private equity firm Golden Gate Capital, its senior lender.