Strategy

Nine large U.S. companies on Wednesday committed themselves to achieving a major sustainability goal — and three of them are retailers.

Walmart, Starbucks and Nike are among the firms joining RE100, a global initiative led by The Climate Group to engage, support and showcase influential businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity. Other firms joining the campaign include Goldman Sachs, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Salesforce, Steelcase, Voya Financial.

Sam’s Club and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation are investing in an innovative program to help spawn the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Delivery.com may be coming to an office near you. The online delivery and ordering service has unveiled a partnership with WeWork, a provider of workspace, community, and services in 16 global cities.

The integration, based on Delivery.com's open API technology, allows WeWork's 30,000-plus members to order food on demand through the same portal they use for business functions like booking conference rooms.

Orlando, Fla. -- Even though tropical storm Erika threatened Orlando, Florida, in advance of the ICSC Florida Deal-Making event earlier this month, attendees’ moods weren’t in the least dampened by the occasional rain showers. Attendance was strong and interest was high, as shopping center companies showed their wares to prospective tenants.

Lowe’s Companies Inc. is trying to make its Iris smart home solution more accessible. The home improvement retailer is the newest participant member of the ZigBee Alliance.

Launched in July 2012, Iris by Lowe’s is a smart home solution created to monitor and control virtually everything in the home anytime, anywhere. Lowe’s is the most recent of 450 members currently working to develop and promote ZigBee Internet of Things (IoT) standards.

Veteran J.C. Penney merchant John Tighe has been elevated to fill the role of executive VP and chief merchant held by Liz Sweney who is retiring.

The change, announced Sept. 23, was effective immediately. Tighe and Sweeney joined the company in 2002 and 2000, respectively, and Sweney served as chief merchant since March 2012. She will remain with the company in an advisory role through year end.

Neiman Marcus reported modest sales growth and a reduced loss for its recently ended fourth quarter as the operator of 85 stores eyes an initial public stock offering and a bright omnichannel future.