eZee Electric Bicycles Launches Major U.S. Expansion
eZeebike USA has expanded the eZee brand of electric bicycles into the U.S. market. “This is a personal vehicle whose time has come,” said Joel Gayner, eZeebike USA President. “The addition of eZee bike's reliable electric power system overcomes distance and hills and allows everyone to enjoy the biking experience.”
Across the U.S., eZeebike USA currently has established several retail locations in six states with more stores planned. The Company intends to have eZee Flagship stores across America, beginning with the first two in El Segundo and Rancho Mirage, California. “Contrary to the big-box, limited service retail model, we are creating a sophisticated dealer network for customers seeking a high-quality electric bicycle experience in an upscale lifestyle environment,”said Gayner. The eZee line-up features an e-bike for every lifestyle from "beach" cruisers, to serious performance bikes.
GE Targets Net Zero Energy Homes By 2015
GE announced today that by 2015 it is developing a turn-key product portfolio that will empower consumers to efficiently consume, manage and generate electricity to enable an overall net zero annual energy cost. In addition to GE's current portfolio of energy-efficient lighting and appliances products, GE plans to develop residential power generation products like solar PV and residential wind products.
The GE net zero energy home offerings will be comprised of three major groups: energy efficient products, energy management products and energy generation/storage products.
In 2010 GE will introduce the Home Energy Manager - a central nervous system for the net zero energy home that will work with all the other enabling technologies to help homeowners optimize energy usage.
Starbucks Reinvents Store Experience To Focus On Local Communities
Starbucks Coffee Co. announced its new global store design strategy. The new store designs will reflect the character of each store’s surrounding neighborhood and help to reduce environmental impacts.
Starbucks will source materials and employ craftsmen on a localized basis, and will incorporate reused and recycled elements where possible. Starbucks aims to achieve LEED® certification for all new company-operated stores beginning in 2010.
Arthur Rubinfeld, President, Starbucks Global Development, said, “Our new design approach will allow customers to feel truly at home when visiting their local store.”
The new store designs share several core characteristics: Celebration of local materials; Focus on reused and recycled elements; Exposure of structural integrity and authentic roots; and Elevation of coffee.
Barnes & Noble Stores Nationwide To Offer Complimentary AT&T Wi-Fi
Barnes & Noble has teamed with AT&T to provide complimentary in-store Wi-Fi. All customers shopping in Barnes & Noble stores can now freely download and preview any of the over 700,000 eBook titles with hundreds of thousands of public domain titles available from Google.
“Barnes & Noble pioneered the concept of retail stores as community centers,” said Steve Riggio, CEO, Barnes & Noble. “By providing no-fee Wi-Fi access, we are extending the sense of community that has always been in our stores.” Customers will be able to opt-in to receive Barnes & Noble coupons on their Wi-Fi enabled devices when they enter the store.
Food Lion LLC Builds First Green Grocery Store
Food Lion LLC recently broke ground on the company's and South Carolina’s first green grocery store. The store, located in northeast Columbia, will be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certified and will feature a number of environmentally friendly construction and energy-efficient services, including an on-site recycling center, skylights for natural lighting, educational kiosks and preferred parking for low-emitting vehicles.
Food Lion’s new LEED store will feature a number of environmentally friendly features, including: High-efficiency lighting that dims lights based on natural sunlight in the store; LED lighting in the frozen food cases; Bike racks and preferred parking for low-emitting vehicles; Native plant species that minimize irrigation requirements; Environmental education via kiosks in the store; local sourcing; and Customer and associate recycling programs at the store.
Calphalon Launches Industry-First Cookware Recycling Program
When buying a new set of cookware, home cooks are faced with the question of what to do with their old cookware. Calphalon now provides the answer with Calphalon ReNew, an industry-first program that offers a convenient way for consumers to recycle their old cookware. Calphalon ReNew assures consumers that their old cookware will not end up in a landfill.
Consumers can take part in the Calphalon ReNew program by following a few easy steps, all at no cost: Purchase a qualifying set of Calphalon Unison(TM) Nonstick cookware. Place the old cookware - it can be any brand - in the return shipping box provided inside the new Calphalon Unison Nonstick cookware set box. Register at www.CalphalonReNew.com and take the package to any FedEx drop-off location.
Frito-Lay’s SunChips Launches First Fully Compostable Snack Chip Bag
SunChips, Frito-Lay’s popular line of multigrain snacks, announced that in 2010 it will introduce the first fully compostable snack chip bag made from plant-based materials.
The SunChips brand has already begun taking the first step towards this transformational packaging. The outer layer of packaging on SunChips snack bags will be made with a compostable, plant-based renewable material, polylactic acid (PLA). By Earth Day 2010, Frito-Lay plans to rollout a package for its SunChips snacks where all layers are made from PLA material so the package is 100% compostable.
“We know environmentally-friendly packaging is a priority for our SunChips consumer,” said Gannon Jones, V.P. Marketing, Frito-Lay. “Our launch of packaging made with 1/3 renewable materials is an important first step towards having a fully compostable chip bag in market by Earth Day 2010.” Frito-Lay will inform consumers about the new packaging initiatives through in-store materials, print, TV and digital advertising.
Naked Juice Is First National Brand To Utilize 100% Recycled Bottles
Naked Juice has become the first nationally-distributed brand to transition to a 100% post-consumer recycled plastic or PET bottle. While the previous bottles were translucent, the Naked reNEWabottle is clear, showing off the vibrant juice inside, and will feature a label indicating that the bottle is 100 percent recycled. “The transition to 100 percent post-consumer recycled bottles is a major milestone that we have worked hard to achieve” said Mikel Durham, General Manager of Naked Juice.
MINI USA To Expand U.S. Dealer Network
MINI USA is set to expand its American dealer network by 20% to a total of 100 outlets across the country. Most of the additional 17 MINI dealerships will be located in cities or areas that will be new markets for the brand.
MINI USA V.P. Jim McDowell, said, “We are pleased to be in a position to dramatically increase our U.S. dealerships. I have often said that the world is becoming more MINI every day, and I believe that that sentiment is true, now more than ever, as consumer tastes shift decidedly to cars that offer tremendous value. Our cars are not only fuel efficient, and offer great value, but they also provide a fun and dynamic motoring experience and are packed with personality.”
MINI will open dealerships in Birmingham, AL, Pensacola, FL, Alexandria, VA; Austin, TX, Seattle, WA, Fort Myers, FL, El Paso, TX, Ontario, CA, Louisville, KY, Raleigh, NC, Knoxville, TN, Loveland, CO, Madison, WI, Mount Laurel, NJ, Allentown, PA, San Diego, CA and Tempe, AZ.
Consumer Electronics Retailer hhgregg Plans New Store Openings In 2010
hhgregg, a specialty retailer of consumer electronics, announced accelerated growth plans with 22 new store openings planned in 2010. During the past year, competitive dynamics within the consumer electronics industry have created significant opportunities for the company to expand at growth rates greater than previously projected. The company now expects to open between 20 and 22 new stores during the current fiscal year. These store openings will include the launch of three new multi-store markets: Tampa, Florida; Memphis, Tennessee; and Richmond, Virginia. In addition, the company expects to open between 40 and 45 new stores during fiscal 2011, with the majority of these new stores located in large and mid-sized metropolitan markets in the Mid-Atlantic region, including Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.
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