Corporate Responsibility

Chicago -- Starbucks Corp. is ratcheting up its already significant commitment to job creation.

The coffee giant is teaming up with such other retail powerhouses as Walmart, CVS Health, Walgreens, Macy’s, Target and J.C. Penney in an ambitious jobs program to hire 100,000 16- to 24-year-olds "who face systemic barriers to jobs and education" by 2018 through apprenticeships, internships, training programs, and both part-time and full-time jobs.

“Now Trending” is a new exclusive online series to chainstoreage.com, featuring trending topics that impact the retail real estate landscape.

As revitalized urban spaces continue to flourish in cities across the country, the concept of co-working spaces has gained considerable traction. The growing popularity of this new workspace arrangement is more than just another piece of the urban puzzle, it is one of the driving forces helping to shape a new generation of emerging urban landscapes.

Salt Lake City – Overstock.com is expanding the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables for its customers. The off-price e-commerce retailer already makes fresh farm-grown produce available to nearly half of Americans through its online farmers market store, which serves customers in 35 states.

Walmart is taking an innovative approach to empowering women with the unveiling of a new a new digital initiative designed to support the advancement of women leaders at Walmart and women worldwide.

Shoppers who drive an electric vehicle and shop at Ikea in Canada just got a big gift from the Swedish retailer.

The Home Depot has come one step closer to eliminating youth homelessness in Canada after sponsoring an inventive in-store campaign.

By purchasing a paper door for $2, Home Depot customers in Canada raised $1,253,370 toward the goal of ending youth homelessness in that nation. Donations will go to support housing and life-skills development programs such as counselling, financial literacy, and employment preparation to give youth the practical tools they need to live to their full potential.

A former chief financial officer of Walgreens is joining the board of directors at ConAgra Foods as the company deals with the interest of activist investors.

Staples is injecting a little bit of boy band starpower into its latest promotion aimed on supporting education.

The retailer is building on its decades-long support of teachers, students and education with a $10 million pledge to support Think It Up, a program launched by the Entertainment Industry Foundation. Think IT Up is a new movement created to inspire students to pursue their passions through student-powered, teacher-led learning projects with support from Staples for Students.