STORE SPACES

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot announced that Office Depot stores in Plano, Texas; Raleigh, N.C.; and Tallahassee, Fla., won the top three spots for retail energy efficiency gains in the 2011 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star National Building Competition. The Plano and Raleigh stores were also the only retailers in the overall top 10 list.

Quincy, Mass. -- The Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. will open a new format focused on expanded selection, health and wellness, and convenience on Nov. 18, in Chelmsford, Mass. The 72,000 sq. ft. “next evolution” supermarket will include such amenities an in-store nutritionist, a supervised child play area, free Wi-Fi Internet access, curbside pick-up and innovative in-store shopping tools.

New York City -- Apple on Friday unveiled a new glass entrance for its store on New York City's Fifth Avenue.

The original 32-ft. glass cube previously used 90 panes of glass. The new design has a more sleeker, slimmed-down look and features 15 larger, seamless panes. Apple also updated the plaza outside the store.

The total project cost Apple a reported $6.7 million.
 

Belmont, Calif. -- SunEdison, a leading worldwide solar energy services provider and Staples announced a production milestone of more than 30 million kilowatt-hours of energy produced through solar installations on Staples' properties.

Conshohocken, Pa. -- Ikea announced on Wednesday plans to install solar energy panels at three additional U.S. locations, bringing the number of Ikea U.S. stores with a solar program to 23 – more than half of the home-furnishing retailer’s domestic presence.

New York City -- Macy’s announced it plans to spend about $400 million over the next four years to remodel and update its legendary store at Herald Square in Manhattan.

As part of the project, the store’s space will be expanded by 100,000-sq.-ft., giving it a total of 1.2 million sq. ft. of selling space. The additional space will result from opening up space currently used for stock and offices and extending the mezzanine level in the Broadway Building.

New York City -- Walmart will open its first store in the United States that utilizes all-LED lighting on the interior. The store, a Walmart Neighborhood Market, is located at 2111 N. Amidon, Wichita, Kan. It will open on Nov. 2.

The company said it expects to see a 40% savings on the energy-efficient lights, which also last at least six years beyond conventional lighting, reducing maintenance costs.

Pittsburgh -- Dick's Sporting Goods will officially mark its entry into the state of Oklahoma on Nov. 2, with the opening of two stores in Tulsa, and one store in Broken Arrow.

In other news, Dick’s will open at Premier Center, Canton, Mich., on Nov. 2, and at Waters Place, Ann Arbor, Mich., on Nov. 4.