STORE SPACES

New York City -- Marks & Spencer’s new Simply Food in Sheffield, England, is its greenest store to date, incorporating an array of sustainable design and construction features. The 12,430-sq.-ft. supermarket also has the distinction of being the first store in the United Kingdom to be 100% lit with LED technology (from Philips).

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens said Thursday it plans to offer electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at approximately 800 locations across the country by the end of 2011, which would make the drugstore chain the country’s largest retail host.

The charging stations will feature either a high-speed direct current charger that can add 30 miles of range in as little as 10 minutes of charging time, or a Level 2 charger that can add up to 25 miles of range per hour of charge.

Chicago -- Englewood Construction, announced it has completed construction on five retail projects in the Chicago and Washington, D.C., regions.

In the Chicago area, the firm finished construction of a 21,654-sq.-ft. Hhgregg store in Joliet, a 33,115–sq.–ft. Sears outlet in Naperville and a Mrs. Fields/TCBY Yogurt at Westfield Old Orchard shopping center in Skokie.
 

Pittsburgh — Giant Eagle on Thursday unveiled its first two compressed natural gas fueling stations in the Pittsburgh area at its Beechnut Drive retail support and distribution center, according to a report by Drug Store News.

Dallas -- 7-Eleven has completed upgrades in more than 1,000 of its stores in the greater New York City, Northern and Central New Jersey, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., areas. The company also is considering store-remodel programs in other parts of the United States.

San Francisco -- Old Navy will complete its 300th remodeled store in mid-July as it continues to overhaul its entire chain. The design has a racetrack layout and features improved visual merchandising with light wood and white shelving, walls and backdrops that spotlight the core Old Navy product categories. For more photos, click here.

New York City -- British retail giant Tesco Ltd. has broken new ground, creating virtual stores in subway stations in Seoul, South Korea, as a way to make grocery shopping more convenient for the city’s busy urban residents. Tesco launched the unique venture for its Homeplus chain, which operates 115 stores in South Korea. The virtual stores were created by Cheil Worldwide of Korea.

New York City -- Target Corp. has won approval to put its signature red logo on one of Chicago's most famous buildings. The Permit Review Committee of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks on Thursday approved the chain’s request to allow its bull's eye to be placed on its new store planned for downtown Chicago.

New York City -- Bob Evans Farms will extend its “Farm-Fresh Refresh” renovation project to 44 locations in the Detroit and Toledo, Ohio, areas. The renovations are expected to begin in August 2011 and be finished by this November.

The new stores will include a bakery, a carry-out area and a redesigned retail area. The updated design features murals in the entryway depicting the heritage of Bob Evans and more modern furnishings, light fixtures and brighter color schemes in the dining room.

Corpus Christi, Texas -- Trademark Property said Thursday that its La Palmera shopping center has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver for Core and Shell 2.0 established by the U.S. Green Building Council.

Acquired in partnership with International Mall Investors in July 2008, the 1-million-sq.-ft. regional mall located in Corpus Christi is the first in the U.S. to receive the designation.