Corporate Governance

Walgreens has opened the nation’s first net zero energy retail store, in Evanston, Ill. (A net zero building produces energy equal to or greater than it consumes.)

The new Walgreens features two wind turbines, nearly 850 solar panels and a geothermal heating and cooling system burrowed 550 ft. into the ground. Combined, the store’s energy-saving technologies and systems are expected to reduce its electricity consumption to 200,000 kilowatt-hours per year, which is about half of an average Chicago-area Walgreens’ store energy footprint.

Supply chain and reverse logistics provider Genco has named Laurie Barkman as the new president and CEO of Genco Marketplace, Genco's wholly owned liquidation subsidiary.

Barkman has served as Genco Marketplace's chief operating officer since July 2013. In her new role, Barkman will be responsible for driving expansion into new liquidation markets and developing a world-class team.

Pleasanton, Calif. -- Safeway Inc. announced it has reached a definitive agreement to sell 11 of its Dominick's stores in the Chicago metropolitan area in a cash and lease assumption transaction to Roundy's, Inc. Roundy's will take possession of the stores during a transition period that will take place over the next two months.

Developers in the Northeast are renovating, redeveloping and raising rents

What are retail shopping center developers up to in the vibrant northeastern region of the United States?

All across the Northeast — in which we include Ohio, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the traditional northeastern states to the north — developers are renovating, redeveloping, raising rents, welcoming tenants and starting to get back to normal.

Boise, Idaho -- WinCo Foods will open a store in Glibert, Ariz., on Dec. 5. The supermarket occupies approximately 97,000 sq. ft. and will include WinCo's new red and black decor package that creates a solid, clean feel and coordinates with the hundreds of new WinCo Foods private label products the company has recently introduced.  

Retailers were effective at getting a record number of Americans to visit stores and Web sites over the weekend, but persuading them to spend money was a different story, according to data released by the National Retail Federation Sunday afternoon.

Even before its final round of deals kicked in at Walmart on Friday morning the retailer announced that sales had exceeded last year’s record-breaking results with 10 million transactions completed between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

Washington, D.C. -- More consumers plan to spend more than last year, and fewer consumers less than last year, according to the 14th annual holiday spending survey conducted by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA) and the Credit Union National Association (CUNA).