Corporate Responsibility

Belk’s efforts on community involvement received a boost in 2015, as the company reported that it donated more than $21.5 million to local communities last year.

Of the total amount, Belk corporate dollars funded $6.1 million to more than 250 nonprofit organizations, with a focus on education, breast cancer research and awareness, and community strengthening, the company said. The remainder of the funding includes associate, vendor and customer dollars raised in Belk-led charitable events, including the Belk Charity Sale.

New York  -- Ikea will open its largest U.S. store on a 22-acre site in Burbank, California. As the first step in the construction process, the retailer must demolish 19 existing structures on the site. The new 456,000-sq.-ft. store is slated to open in spring 2017.

Reflecting the company’s commitment to sustainability, Ikea plans to recycle, repurpose or salvage as much of the existing buildings’ equipment, materials, and parts as possible.
 

Dusseldorf, Germany – Germany-based global retailer Metro Group has partnered with Frequentz, Inc., a provider of end-to-end visibility solutions, to build customer trust through supply chain transparency. Frequentz's track and trace system will provide Metro with the tools it needs to monitor pharmaceuticals, seafood and produce across stores in 31 countries.

Frequentz's system is not solely reliant on GS1 standards but adaptable to all companies regardless of standards deployed, simplifying international traceability.

City of Commerce, Calif. - 99 Cents Only Stores has opened an onsite fully operational compressed natural gas (CNG) filling station in the company's main distribution center. This is the final step in the company's plan in adopting a green approach to its private fleet operation.

Clean, quiet and efficient are the benefits 99 Cents Only expects to derive from a switch to natural gas fueled vehicles at its main distribution center in California.

The extreme value retailer said it opened a fully operational compressed natural gas (CNG) filling station on site at the company's main distribution center in the Los Angeles suburb of City of Commerce. The move is the final step in the company's plan to adopt a green approach to a private fleet operation that serves 383 stores in California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas.

Seattle – Starbucks Corp. tackled a wide range of global responsibility projects in 2014, including the ongoing minimization of its environment footprint. In its annual 2014 Global Responsibility Report, the coffee giant noted that it opened its 500th LEED-certified store in 2014, and that 98% of company-operated new stores opened in the United States in 2014 were built to LEED standards. Globally, the percentage stands at 64%.

Seattle – Outdoor retail co-op REI is being very “cooperative” in returning $168 million to its members. In 2014, 945,000 new members joined the co-op, taking active membership to a high of 5.5 million.

For the year, REI reported record annual revenues of $2.2 billion, a 10% increase from 2013. When the co-op performs well, active members receive an annual 10% dividend, based on their eligible annual purchases.

Toronto - Joe Fresh and Ryerson University are launching a long-term partnership that will see the creation of Canada's first fashion innovation center. The Joe Fresh Centre for Fashion Innovation, made possible with a $1 million investment from Joe Fresh, will develop and fund Canada's emerging fashion-inspired businesses through Ryerson's Fashion Zone, an incubator that supports students and student entrepreneurship.

Outdoor retailer REI reached new heights in 2014 thanks to unprecedented membership growth which fueled a 4.2% same store sales increase and a record financial performance.

The same store sales increased and addition of seven new stores helped the company increase total sales 9.9% to $2.2 billion. The company ended the year with 5.5 million active members, 945,000 of whom joined the retail cooperative in 2014.

Austin, Texas – Whole Foods Market is bringing fresh food to the people of Portland, Oregon, through its My Street Grocery program. Operating from a refurbished classic trolley car, My Street Grocery is a mobile grocer that travels to neighborhoods throughout the Portland metro area and is focused on improving fresh food access and building community.