STORE SPACES

By Mark J. Rowell, president, Mammoth Media

Supermarkets, apparel chains and other retail outlets need clear signage with messaging that is sharply and professionally printed to draw in customers.

Dallas -- Davaco announced that the company offers shop-in-shop solutions for soft and hard-line brands that are implementing nationwide programs involving new or existing shops within department or big box stores. Davaco provides clients with a fully integrated approach to shop-in-shop rollouts that can include fixture manufacturing, site surveys, logistics/consolidation, as well as installation and merchandising after installation.
 

Cincinnati -- The Kroger Co. has received the Alliance to Save Energy’s top award, the “Galaxy” Star of Energy Efficiency.

Palo Alto, Calif. -- HP announced that its technology is powering an interactive, hands-on experience for shoppers and visitors at the new McCormick World of Flavors store in Baltimore.

San Diego, Calif. -- Audio products company Parametric Sound Corp. said Tuesday that Build-A-Bear Workshop will include its directed sound product in six newly designed stores that will be opened across the U.S. this year.  

The HyperSound product will allow Build-A-Bear to simultaneously operate multiple interactive kiosks within the store, each playing its own specific audio message.

New York -- Data released Monday by the Associated General Contractors of America revealed that construction spending declined between July and August to an annualized rate of $837 billion, but increased compared with August 2011 driven largely by growing demand for residential, lodging and education construction.

Chicago -- An online grocery delivery service is launching "virtual grocery stores" at commuter rail stations across the country.

Peapod.com, owned by the U.S. subsidiary of Dutch supermarket operator Royal Ahold, announced it would launch more than 100 of the virtual grocery stores at commuter rail stations in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, New Jersey and Connecticut. Commuters in the markets Peapod serves spend an hour in transit to and from work each day, according to Census data.

Plymouth Meeting, Pa. -- Ikea said Monday that it plans to sell only energy-efficient LED lighting by 2016. The move comes two years after the Swedish retailer phased out incandescent bulbs.

Ikea said it believes the shift to the longer-lasting bulbs will help set an environmentally friendly example in the industry. It also will help save the company about $10 million to $20 million a year, or 10%, in lighting costs at its 300 stores around the globe, said Steve Howard, the company's chief sustainability officer.