STORE SPACES

New York -- Retail design consultancy and brand agency CBX has been retained by hunger relief organization Philabundance to design a prototype for Fare & Square, a not-for-profit grocery store slated to open this summer in Chester, Pa.

Sunrise, Fla. -- Ikea on Wednesday officially plugged-in the solar energy system installed at its store in City of Sunrise, Fla. It is the largest solar installation in South Florida and, when combined with Ikea projects already completed atop stores in Orlando and Tampa, will make Ikea the state’s largest non-utility solar owner. 

Atlanta -- Mother Nature Network and Walmart are teaming up to launch an online destination (mnn.com/leaderboard) that profiles the biggest innovations in sustainability – and the pioneers who are creating them.

Miami Beach, Fla. -- Car Charging Group announced Thursday the expansion of its relationship with Walgreens by adding EV charging services to 11 Walgreens locations throughout Ohio in Akron, Canal Winchester, Columbus, Dayton, Franklin, North Canton, and Reynoldsburg.

In 2012, CarCharging launched the rollout of Walgreens EV charging services at eight locations in Kissimmee and Orlando, Fla.

Seattle -- Nordstrom announced plans to open two new Nordstrom Rack stores, with one in Atlanta, at the Perimeter Expo shopping center, which is owned by Kimco Realty Corp., and the other in Naples, Fla., at The Mercato.

The 36,000-sq,-ft. Atlanta store is scheduled to open in fall 2013. The 30,000-sq.-ft. Naples store is scheduled to open in fall 2013.

Los Gatos, Calif. -- BrightSign that LifeProof has deployed the company’s players in point-of-purchase displays in Best Buy retail stores. LifeProof, a manufacturer of rugged cases for iPhone and iPad, is using 1,600 inline displays in Best Buy’s 800 U.S.-based stores to engage customers and generate sales in the increasingly competitive iOS accessories market.

New York -- Due to the holiday rush and related closings, Chain Store Age extended the deadline for its 31st annual Retail Store of the Year Design Competition until Tuesday, January 8, 2013. Eligible projects are those completed between November 2011 and December 2012.

More than 20 categories are featured, ranging from supermarkets and discount/mass merchants to specialty stores and pop-up stores. Entries may be submitted by retailers, designers, architects or suppliers.

West Des Moines, Iowa -- Convenience-store operator Kum & Go. opened 43 stores in nine states — more than double its previous record of 21 new stores in 2009 — in 2012, for a total of 430 stores in 11 states. The company plans to continue its growth strategy in the coming years.

“We’re not letting up,” president and CEO Kyle J. Krause said. “Our growth plan for the next five years is just as aggressive.”