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RANDOM NOTES: Wachovia Corp., Charlotte, N.C., is going green. The financial-services giant will open its first eight green banking offices, at various locations in Southern California, starting in November. The banks are part of a larger initiative the company recently launched that includes plans to build at least 300 green financial centers in accordance with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification standards by the year 2010. The new banks are based on a prototype design developed by Callison, Seattle, that combines clean, streamlined spaces with private meeting reas.… Macy’s has reopened its store in Miami Beach’s trendy South Beach neighborhood. Following a four-month renovation, the 91,118-sq.-ft. space has been transformed with an Art Deco look. The original canopy of the store, which opened in 1953 as Burdines, and its signature “Sunshine Fashions” sign have been restored, and are lit every night until 1 a.m.… Holt Renfrew’s new 137,000-sq.-ft. store in Vancouver, British Columbia, features an attention-getting facade clad in layers of “quilted” glass, giving it a textured, bubble-glass effect. The glass, which allows daylight to flow into the finely detailed, chic store, has a nighttime sparkle. A dramatic, soaring center atrium is made up of two oval-shaped floor openings. Janson Goldstein LLP, New York City, designed the space.

PERSONNEL UPDATES: Peter Cronin has joined WD Partners, Dublin, Ohio, as executive director of market research. Previously, Cronin was the co-founder and chief learning officer for Concord, Mass.-based Brand IQ, where he directed a team of brand strategists and researchers working in the restaurant, retail and consumer-packaged-goods industries.… Donn Cherry has joined RYA, Dallas, as design director.

UPCOMING EVENTS: The 2007 InternationalRetail Design Conference (IRDC) will be held Sept. 19-21, at the InterContinental Buckhead, Atlanta. For details, visit www.irdconline.com.

DESIGN COMPETITION: Chain Store Age is accepting entries for its annual Retail Store of the Year design competition (see page 105), which features a new category honoring environmental sustainability. Go to chainstoreage.com (click on “A Call for Entries”) for applications, or call Marianne Wilson at 212-756-5261 ([email protected]) for more information.