Home Improvement

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — Kohl’s Department Stores has been recognized with a 2012 Sustained Excellence in Green Power Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The award was presented Monday at an event held in conjunction with the 2012 Renewable Energy Markets Conference in Washington, D.C. This is the company’s sixth consecutive year receiving a Green Power Leadership Award.

Round Rock, Texas -- Ikea has officially plugged in its largest U.S. rooftop solar installation to date, at its store in Round Rock, Texas. When combined with Ikea projects atop stores in Houston and Dallas-area Frisco, the new installation also makes Ikea the largest solar owner in Texas.

San Jose, Calif. -- Orchard Supply Hardware Stores Corp. said Friday it will add two California stores to its rollout of a new neighborhood format, with the grand re-openings of a pair of stores in the company’s hometown of San Jose on Oct. 6.

Both stores have been operational for years, but the company said that the reformatting is so significant that they would be marked by grand re-opening celebrations.

Atlanta -- The Home Depot said Friday it has named Mark Vadon, co-founder of online jeweler Blue Nile, to its board of directors.

Vadon will serve on the audit and finance committees. His appointment gives the company 11 directors, 10 of whom are independent.

HATTIESBURG, Miss. — Interior designer Cathy Hobbs has been named as the exclusive brand ambassador for Mythic Paint, a maker of zero-volatile organic compounds (VOC), zero-toxins and non-carcinogenic high performance paint.

Honolulu -- Jones Lang LaSalle announced that it has been awarded the leasing and management of Hawaii Kai Towne Center, a 480,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use center located in Honolulu.

Jones Lang LaSalle's retail portfolio in Hawaii also includes Windward Mall on O’ahu, Queen Ka’ahumanu Center on Maui and the Kings’ Shops on Hawai‘i Island.

Total home improvement dollars increased by 7% when comparing the 12 months ended July 2012 with the previous 12 months, according to consumer research from The NPD Group.

The units of home improvement items sold grew less than 2%, according to the Port Washington, N.Y.-based research firm.

Much of the unit growth in the home improvement industry was driven by hand tools, the second largest segment based on unit sales after storage and organization. Hand tools saw an 8% increase in units between August 2011 and July 2012.

Stockholm, Sweden -- Ikea said Monday that its CEO Mikael Ohlsson will step down effective Sept. 1, 2013, and will be succeeded by Peter Agnefjall, current country manager of Ikea Sweden.

To prepare Agnefjall for his new role, Ikea said that he will serve as VP of the company beginning in 2013 until his September transition.