STORE SPACES

Dallas -- Davaco a provider of retail and restaurant services, announced that the company is partnering with their clients to execute safety audits across stores and restaurants, nationwide.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Department Stores announced Tuesday that it will be recognized as a 2011 Energy Star Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The award, Kohl’s second consecutive, will be presented Tuesday evening at the Energy Star Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens helped launch the nation’s first privately funded and comprehensive electric vehicle charging network with an initial station at its drug store at Belt Line Road and Montfort Drive in Dallas. The retailer is working with NRG Energy to install high-powered rapid charging eVgosm Freedom Stations at 18 locations across the Dallas/Fort Worth area,

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples on Monday said it has been named a 2011 Energy Star Partner of the Year in Energy Management by the EPA. The chain has increased its renewable energy purchases and development to cover 53% of its total U.S. electricity consumption, more than double the company’s previous level.

Staples has also been named an Energy Star Leader by the EPA for reducing energy consumption by more than 11% across its facilities, based on EPA's standardized tools for tracking energy use.

New York City -- Macy’s is undertaking a multi-million dollar remodel of its store in Chicago’s Water Tower Place, the Chicago Tribune reported.

The eight-floor, 227,000-sq.-ft. department store was last renovated in 1996, when it operated as Marshall Field’s. It became Macy’s in 2006.

The new décor will include a white ceramic floor, brighter lights and silver accents, the report said. The store’s first three levels will receive the lion’s share of the updates.

Orlando, Fla. -- Olive Garden plans to remodel or refresh more than half of its 700 plus restaurants across the United States to its new Tuscan farmhouse-inspired design.

Called “Via Tuscany,” the updated décor includes new tables, chairs and booths, a palette of warm, rustic tones and design elements of a farmhouse in Tuscany. Other updates include new window treatments.

New York City -- OSI Restaurant Partners LLC, operators of Bonefish Grill and Outback Steakhouse as well as several other restaurant chains, told securities analysts that it planned to remodel as many as 150 Outback Steakhouse units and focus of expanding its Bonefish Grill brand this year.

OSI operates or franchises 968 Outback Steakhouses, 152 Bonefish Grills, 233 Carrabba’s Italian Grills, 64 Fleming’s units and 22 Roy’s locations.

New York City -- Walmart, Target, The Home Depot, Best Buy and CVS took top honors in Interbrand’s annual ranking of the 50 most valuable U.S. retail brands. The U.S. brands are valued in collaboration with Interbrand Design Forum, the retail experience group within Interbrand.

Las Vegas -- Boulder, Colo.-based Wenger took top honors as Store of the Year in the Association for Retail Environments’ (A.R.E.) annual retail design competition. It’s the first U.S. retail outpost for the company, which is best known as the maker of the Swiss Army Knife.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears and Kmart stores nationwide will participate in the global Earth Hour initiative by turning off or dimming all non-essential lighting March 26 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., including every other television and most computer monitors. The company anticipates saving 80,000 kilowatt hours as a result.