STORE SPACES

BrandsMart to fund $2 million store retrofit with PACE financing
BrandsMart USA is giving its store in West Palm Beach, Florida, a comprehensive energy-efficient retrofit without tapping into its own capital.

The chain is the recipient of low-cost financing for the retrofit through the Florida Green Energy Works Program. BrandsMart received $2.225 million from a private investor for the project, which will include new HVAC systems, energy-efficient lighting and a new roof.
Lifetime Fitness Pro Shops shine with new fixturing solution
Lifetime Fitness has selected a fixturing solution from Cubic Visual Systems for use in its pro shops.

“Their retail fixturing solutions seemed to offer the durability and design flare that we were searching for in our pro shops,” said Julie Yager, senior VP of Lifetime Fitness.

The Chanhassen, Minnesota-based fitness company, which has its own millwork resources, is using Cubic Visual Systems’ hardware resources in eight to 10 shops. Lifetime Fitness intends to work with Cubic Visual Systems going forward.

It’s official: POPAI, A.R.E are one

A.R.E. (Association for Retail Environments) and POPAI (Point of Purchase Advertising International) have merged. The new association, which will be renamed in the coming months, creates one industry association representing all of the companies that provide end –‐to –‐end products and services for retail store environments and customer experiences.
Brookstone shows future of store displays

Brookstone’s new store display should appeal to its gadget-loving customer base.
Subway going all in with LEDs

Subway has upped its commitment to sustainability. As a part of the restaurant chain's ongoing goal to make its restaurants and operations more socially responsible, the company has made LED lighting the standard for all new and remodeled restaurants. The upgrade will provide energy-efficient lighting that, in 2014 with a small percentage of stores participating, saved 21.9 million kilowatt hours – enough energy to power 1,996 households in a single year.
Report: Kohl’s testing in-store café

Kohl’s is testing small cafes at two locations in the Milwaukee area, Fortune reported. The pilot is the latest in a series of in-store customer enhancements.
Ikea goes renewable in Missouri

Ikea continues its commitment to renewable energy with the opening of its store in St. Louis.

The 380,000-sq.-ft. store, the Swedish company’s first in the state of Missouri and 41st in the United States, features the largest rooftop solar array in the state of Missouri.

It is also the first Ikea location in the United States that is lit entirely with LEDs, both inside and out. It is also the first to open with LED lighting for sale.

To date, Ikea has a renewable energy presence at 90% of its U.S. locations.
Hussman acquires Commercial Refrigerator Door

Hussmann Corporation has acquired Commercial Refrigerator Door Company, Sarasota, Florida.

Family owned and operated since 1975, Commercial Refrigerator Door offers a full line of Styleline products, including heated and energy-free glass door and frame systems for walk-in coolers and freezers and a wide range of shelving and merchandising accessories.
CSA’s X/SPECS announces digital innovation theme

Chain Store Age’s 13-year-old Executive SPECS event has been rebranded X/SPECS to underscore a new focus on innovation and in-store technologies.

X/SPECS 2015, to be held Oct. 27-29 in Scottsdale, Arizona, will showcase the evolution of physical stores and the role that technology plays in transforming the in-store customer experience through a series of exciting presentations that will include:
High-performance accent lighting helps Shop Rite come alive

Creative use of lighting is having a major impact on the in-aisle customer experience at a new ShopRite store.

The 90,000-sq.-ft. supermarket, in Burlington, New Jersey, uses high-performance accent lighting from Amerlux Lighting Solutions.