Inter Ikea Systems BV

Target Corp. has knocked Walmart off its perennial top spot in an annual ranking of the U.S. companies with the most solar energy capacity.      Target now has 147.5 megawatts (MW) of installed solar capacity, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association’s 2016 Solar Means Business report, which ranks companies based on capacity current through the third quarter of this year.     

Ikea is expanding its presence in the Sunshine State.   The home furnishings giant is set to begin construction next month on a store in Jacksonville, its fifth location in Florida, with a planned opening in fall 2017, increasing the Swedish retailer’s presence in the Sunshine State.    Ikea has chosen Marcobay Construction, Lakeland, Fla., to serve as construction manager for the Jacksonville site work and store development project.  

Hands down, “digital disruption” was the theme of the third annual Northwest Arkansas Technology Summit, held in Rogers, Arkansas. In line with evolving concept itself, there were many definitions of what digital disruption truly means heard throughout the event.  

Ikea has moved closer to breaking ground on its second location in the Dallas-Fort Worth-area store.   The home furnishings retailer announced it has hired the contractors to build its store in Grand Prairie, Texas. Groundbreaking for the planned 290,000-sq.-ft. store is expected next month. It’s expected to open in fall 2017.   Ikea has chosen Mycon General Contractors, Dallas, to serve as construction manager for the Grand Prairie site work and store development project.   

Ikea continues to break the mold when it comes to furniture retailing.   In a move that supports its transition from a traditional brick-and-mortar retailer to a multichannel player, Ikea recently opened the doors of its third “click-and-collect” location in England, in the city of Birmingham.   

Ikea is installing the largest solar rooftop array in the state of Tennessee atop its location in Memphis.

The store’s 250,675-sq.-ft. solar array consists of a 1.46 MW system, built with 4,424 panels that will produce approximately 2,000,000 kWh of electricity annually for the store, the equivalent of reducing 1,406 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2)).

For the development, design and installation of the Memphis customized solar power system, Ikea selected Hannah Solar, an Atlanta-based full service, certified solar integrator.

Ikea is giving new meaning to do-it-yourself retailing.   The home furnishings giant will open a pop-up DIY restaurant in the Shoreditch section of London where patrons will build their own meals, serving as the chef and preparing food for their group.    

Ikea is expanding its renewable energy commitment with state-of-the-art fuel cell technology.

Based on the success of a pilot installation, the Swedish home furnishings retailer plans to install biogas-powered fuel cell systems at four stores in California.

A year ago, Ikea completed installation of a similar project at its location in Emeryville, Calif., one of the company’s two San Francisco-area stores.