STORE SPACES

Columbus, Ohio -- Express said Friday that one of its subsidiaries has entered into a franchise agreement with Fastco Commercial S.A., a retail franchise operator, to open more than 30 Express stores over a five-year period in Panama, Peru, Costa Rica, Colombia, The Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings said Friday it has again been selected to participate in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star National Building Competition: Battle of the Buildings.

For the third consecutive year, Sears will participate in the competition, this year entering 56 facilities that will compete against thousands of other teams representing buildings across the country. All efforts will be focused on eliminating waste through improvements in energy efficiency with help from EPA's Energy Star program.

New York -- The Pantry is giving its stores a makeover. The chain will remodel 10% of its store portfolio, or approximately 160 locations annual, until it completes the job, said Pantry president and CEO Dennis Hatchell on the company’s third-quarter sales call.

The remodeling program will be store specific, according to Hatchell. He said the chain now has the scan data to execute a customized store set, and that it has a series of distinct demographic types.

San Diego -- EcoATM, a start-up known for its innovative kiosks that fully automates the buy-back of used mobile phones and other portable electronics, has made its first major expansion outside of California by installing 28 kiosks in malls throughout Texas. The automated kiosks, which are typically located in malls and grocery stores, allow people to exchange their used or broken electronics, ranging from iPhones to MP3 players, for cash.

Charlottesville, Va. -- Columbia, S.C.-based Edens said that Trader Joe’s is among the anchor tenants of its new Shops at Stonefield development, under construction in Charlottesville, Va.

The Shops at Stonefield will begin opening stores and restaurants in November 2012. Tenants include Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Langford Market and Trader Joe's. Edens said it is also working with local retailer Blue Ridge Mountain Sports on a new flagship store.

Oakland, Calif. -- Lucid, a provider of real-time feedback technology for buildings, is spearheading a study of resource consumption and behavior change with Starbucks Coffee Co. The pilot project, developed in conjunction with the Snohomish County Public Utility District and Portland Energy Conservation Inc., will be hosted by 10 Starbucks stores in Snohomish County, Ore., and will serve to test and document measurable energy savings in the stores.

Matthews, N.C. -- Harris Teeter plans to expand its presence in existing markets, the company said in its third-quarter earnings release.

Orlando, Fla. -- Darden Restaurants reduced restaurant water usage by 17% on an aggregate basis between fiscal years 2008 and 2011, exceeding its 2015 goal of reducing water consumption in each of its restaurants by 15% on aggregate and is more than half way toward meeting the same goal for reducing energy consumption in its restaurants, according to the company’s second annual sustainability report.