STORE SPACES

New York City -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that Panera Bread’s 35 Maryland locations are on EPA's list of top green power purchasers among retailers.
 
The company’s green power purchase of more than 11 million kilowatt hours for its 35 Maryland bakery-cafes is equivalent to avoiding the yearly carbon dioxide emissions of nearly 1,400 passenger vehicles or from more than 800 average American homes’ electricity use.

New York City -- For the second year in a row, Office Depot was recognized in Newsweek magazine’s annual “Green Rankings” as the greenest large retailer in America. Across all industry sectors, Office Depot was ranked as America’s 8th greenest large company, a move up of 10 spots from last year, and was the only retailer in the U.S. Top 10 list.

Office Depot not only achieved the highest aggregate green score in the U.S. retail industry, but also led in Environmental Management, and disclosure of performance data.

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot’s global headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla., has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star certification. The certification signifies that the building performs in the top 25% of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.

Portland, Ore. -- Ikea officially plugged-in two Blink Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations at its Portland, Ore., store as part of its partnership with ECOtality, a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies.

The initiative is the first such project for Ikea in the United States. Similar installations aa planned at eight other Ikea stores in the Western United States.

New York City -- Uniqlo, the expansion-minded Japanese apparel retailer, on Friday will open its largest store in the world, an 89,000-sq.-ft. flagship on Fifth Avenue. The three-level store reflects the chain’s ambitious designs on the United States and also the changing nature of Fifth Avenue, which is experiencing an influx of moderately-priced retailers.

Uniqlo is looking to grow its business to $50 billion by 2020. U.S. expansion figures into its strategy.

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot said Tuesday that three of its stores hold the top spots for retail energy efficiency gains at the midpoint of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star National Building Competition.

New York City -- The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. has awarded a three-year contract to USM Services, a division of Emcor Group, Norwalk, Conn., to provide facilities management services to the chain’s 336 stores in the Northeast.

Salisbury, N.C. -- Food Lion said Tuesday that two of its stores in Fayetteville, N.C., have been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Silver certifications by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The green grocery stores feature a number of environmentally friendly construction and energy-efficient services, including an on-site recycling center, an educational kiosk and preferred parking for carpool vehicles.