Sustainability

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. -- Whirlpool Corporation announced fourth-quarter net earnings of $171 million, or $2.19 per diluted share, compared with $95 million, or $1.24 per diluted share reported during the same period last year.  Fourth-quarter adjusted diluted earnings per share totaled $2.11 compared with $1.67 in the prior year.  Sales of $5 billion increased 4% from the fourth quarter of 2009.

Fourth-quarter operating profit totaled $202 million compared with $199 million in the prior year.  

New York City -- Tesco PLC will install touch-screen energy display boards in 500 locations across the United Kingdom. The screens, which will be located in staff areas, will display which areas of the store are consuming the most energy. The hope is that the associates will respond and adjust energy usage as needed throughout the day.

Corpus Christi, Texas -- La Palmera shopping center, located in Corpus Christi, Texas, said it has launched a new smart phone application designed for all smart phone platforms, including Android, Blackberry and iPhone.

The new app, in development since September 2010, officially launched with a La Palmera Facebook posting to its 6,600 fans.

New York City -- Hannaford Supermarket’s store in Duanesburg, N.Y., was awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification by the United States Green Building Council.

Among the supermarket’s environmentally friendly features are seafood display cases that do not use ice, an energy-saving advanced refrigeration system, water-conserving restroom fixtures, high-efficiency lighting and solar-reflective roofing materials. 

The only other LEED-certified Hannaford store is in Augusta, Maine.

NEW YORK — At a press event in New York on Wednesday, Pacific World and Walmart officially took the wraps off a new eco-friendly beauty line for tweens, aptly named GeoGirl.

The line, which has a suggested retail price between $3.98 and $5.98, is launching exclusively at about 1,250 Walmart stores and on Walmart.com beginning in March. The 69-SKU collection includes makeup for face, lips, cheeks and eyes, as well as skin and body care. A GeoGirl website is slated to launch Feb. 24.

New York City -- Ikea plans to use solar energy in its store under construction in the Denver suburb of Centennial. Pending governmental permits, installation of solar panels on the store’s roof will begin in February, with completion by grand opening this fall.

Orange, Va. -- Walmart’s next step to open a Supercenter near Wilderness Battlefield in Orange, Va., goes to court Tuesday, as Orange County Circuit Judge Daniel R. Bouton is scheduled to hear arguments on requests for summary judgments from attorneys in the case.

If the trial moves forward, a preservation group and local residents who oppose the store will square off against Walmart and the Orange County officials who approved the Supercenter.

By Lara Greden, [email protected]