Sustainability

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.  

Wisconsin has become the third state to legalize the use of the automated robots. Virginia and Idaho passed passed similar legislation earlier this year.    The Wisconsin law places an 80-pound weight limit on the robots, and doesn’t permit the machines to travel faster than 10 miles per hour. The robots are also required to have a person in the loop to take over control in case something goes awry, according to ReCode.  

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.  

Eco-friendly home improvement retailer TreeHouse's new outpost in Dallas is billed as the nation's first energy-positive (meaning it will generate more energy than it uses) big-box store.   The 35,000-sq.-ft. space offers a curated selection of products, materials and technologies — some not available elsewhere—designed to promote healthy and sustainable spaces.  It also offers turn-key services and programs, including kitchen and bath design. solar energy kits, home insulation and "smart" home installation.

West Elm has announced the newest location for its fledgling West Elm Hotels portfolio.   The company, a division of Williams-Sonoma, is teaming up with Signature Development Group and Jordan Real Estate Investments to develop a hotel in Oakland, Calif. Expected to open in 2020, the hotel will be located in Oakland’s Uptown neighborhood, and will celebrate the rich diversity and history of the location.   

TreeHouse practices what it preaches.    The retailer, which specializes in supplies and services that promote healthy and sustainable spaces, has expanded beyond its Austin home base, opening in Dallas. Its new 35,000-sq.-ft. outpost is billed as the nation's first energy-positive (meaning it will generate more energy than it uses) big-box store.   

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.