Sustainability

As back to school season heats up, Staples is launching an innovative promotion that aims to give students in North America the opportunity to make a world of difference with their back-to-school purchases.

Swedish furniture giant IKEA is always coming up with inventive and innovative products to appeal to its core shoppers, but this time the retailer is marking a first in the industry.

IKEA announced it will become the first major global retailer to offer a 100% LED light bulb assortment. In a bid to make its products more sustainable, the retailer will switch all of its available bulbs to LED bulbs by the end of September.

New York -- Chick-fil-A is set to open its largest location to date in one of the nation’s busiest cities.

The quick-serve restaurant chain will open its first freestanding location in New York City, at the corner of West 37th Street and 6th Avenue in the Garment District, on Oct. 3. The three-story, 5,000-sq.-ft. restaurant will be Chick-fil-A's largest in the country and will be independently owned and operated by local resident Oscar Fittipaldi.

Bellevue, Wash. – Thrift shop customers appreciate the deep savings, but most of them do not shop out of necessity.

According to a new survey of 1,001 U.S. adults from the Savers thrift shop chain, 76% of Americans are choosing thrift with the top two reasons being that it’s cost-effective and feels like a treasure hunt. The new data about Americans’ shopping behaviors also highlights:  

• 77% agree that it’s important that they get a good deal or value on the items they buy.

New York -- Starbucks founder and CEO Howard Schultz says he is not running for President, but that doesn’t mean he is satisfied with the state of politics in American.

Fort Worth, Texas -- Trademark Property Co. announced its Waterside mixed-use development, located in Fort Worth, Texas, will be the first ground-up project developed as part of Trademark’s Conscious Place initiative; a stakeholder-driven development model that aims to ensure that its properties are more than just places of commerce, but also places of community and meaning.

A complete revamp has put a new focus on freshness and customer engagement at Strack & Van Til.

Focusing on whole organics, natural foods, and gluten-free products, the 56,458-sq.-ft store is set up to offer the value of a farmers market in the environment of a large space. Customers can even have their fresh purchased seafood grilled for them on-site.

Outdoor wear retailer Patagonia is trying to revolutionize the way denim is manufactured, sold and worn with a new collection.

Patagonia's new denim collection is made with environmentally friendly dye, Fair Trade Certified sewing practices, and 100% organic cotton grown without pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers.