Sustainability

AT&T’s first-ever flagship is designed to immerse customers in everything AT&T. The 10,000-sq.-ft. emporium, located at 600 N. Michigan Ave. in Chicago, also offers shoppers a peek into the future, with the first-ever retail demonstrations of the company’s new digital home security system and an example of how wireless technology can help driving via an on-site “connected” car.

Energy conservation remains a key priority for retailers as several factors, including new power plant regulations, threaten to increase volatility in the electricity market. Along with being a significant cost driver, energy management advances environmental goals. Indeed, it is typically the most cost-effective activity a retailer can undertake to become more sustainable, according to Marcus Boerkei, general manager of Siemens Retail & Commercial Systems, who spoke with Chain Store Age about how retailers can reduce their energy use.

PORTLAND, Maine -- The Body Shop launched a new earth-friendly eGift Card service powered by CashStar, a digital gifting and incentives company. Customers can now  purchase and send personalized eGift Cards to family and friends for redemption online or at any of the thousands of The Body Shop stores across the United States and Canada.
 

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Ikea helped out young people transition out of foster care by donating 110 bags filled with Ikea products.

The Ikea "starter kits" included sheets, a comforter, pots and pans, towels and other in-home necessities.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Regency Centers has reduced its energy consumption since 2010 by 3.4 million kilowatt-hours. The installation of networked lighting controls at 48 shopping centers, combined with the use of LED lighting and more efficient HID lamps, accounts for the majority of these savings.

QUINCY, Mass. — Stop & Shop is opening a new store that will include new features that emphasize health and wellness and sustainability, the company said.

Stop & Shop, a division of the U.S. subsidiary of Dutch supermarket operator Ahold, said the Wayland, Mass., store would include nine complementary electric car charging stations, as well as numerous energy-efficient features. The store's grand opening is scheduled for Nov. 16.

Austin, Texas -- Whole Foods Market has announced two new locations for Manhattan. The company said it plans to open a 39,000-sq.ft. store in the city’s Harlem neighborhood in 2015. The supermarket will be located in the middle of the area’s business district, on 125th Street and Lennox Avenue.

Minneapolis -- Best Buy Co. received its highest score ever from the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), which represents 655 institutional investors with $78 trillion in assets, for its performance and approach to the disclosure of climate change information.