Store Systems

Annual study tracks cost of building and outftting stores

The cost of building and outfitting stores is on the rise, according to Chain Store Age's 2013 Store Construction and Outfitting Survey.

Framingham, Mass. – Staples has reached the milestone of having 500 buildings meet EPA Energy Star certification. The facilities include stores, distribution centers and sales offices nationwide. Staples also launched a goal to reach 1,000 Energy Star facilities by the end of 2016.

Office Depot has launched a new rewards program with several loyalty enhancements even as it moves closer to consummating its merger with OfficeMax.

The company’s new program, called simply Office Depot Rewards, is designed to reward shoppers for spending money, sharing information about themselves and recycling. It is a novel approach that is intended to offer a more customized approach to shoppers’ unique behaviors and preferences.

Denver – Furniture Row, parent company of home furnishings retailer Denver Mattress, is using the Oracle ATG e-commerce solution to both personalize the Denver Mattress e-commerce site and make it adaptable to the format of any device the customer chooses to employ. Using the “adaptive design” website design methodology enabled by ATG technology, the Denver Mattress site instantly recognizes what type of device — such as PC, smartphone or tablet — a customer is using and optimizes display for that specific screen.

Omaha, Neb. - Midwestern department store retailer Gordmans Stores, which recently announced plans to expand its store base nearly 40% over a three-year period, said it will move forward with the Oracle Retail platform as a means to support the aggressive growth initiative.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens cited a challenging economy and low front-end comparable store sales for its weaker than expected third quarter results. 

The company has therefore initiated a three-point plan to boost front-end performance as the company shifts its Balance Rewards customer-acquisition focus into second gear with a greater emphasis on redemption and rewards. 

Bentonville, Ark. - Wal-Mart Stores announced Tuesday it has completed solar projects at eight Walmart stores and two Sam's Clubs across the state of Maryland that will generate clean, renewable electricity.

ROANOKE, Va. — Advance Auto Parts has promoted Donna Justiss to the position of SVP and chief information officer. Justiss will report to EVP and CFO Mike Norona, and will continue to be based in Roanoke, Va.

She will be responsible for the strategic leadership of all aspects of Advance’s Information Technology area, including application development and support, infrastructure and information security.