New Retail Stores Connect Consumers With the Best of Microsoft
Microsoft has opened its first retail store in Scottsdale, Arizona. Designed to give shoppers a chance to experience the best of Microsoft and its partners, the store offers customers a select line of laptops, netbooks, all-in-one PCs, Xbox consoles, Windows Mobile phones and one of the largest selections of third-party software titles in any store. “Our customers have told us they want choice, better value and great service when shopping for technology, and that is what we will deliver through our Microsoft stores,” said David Porter, Vice President of Microsoft Retail.
The design of the stores is uniquely Microsoft, with four “zones” that focus on different types of technology experiences. Laptops are on large cedar tables, with seating so shoppers can sit and tinker. The walls are lined with giant LCD screens that envelop the space with landscapes and product images. Below the images, stylish all-in-one PCs are set up with Zunes, Xbox consoles, headphones and widescreen displays, demonstrating how all the items work together to create a multimedia experience. Toward the back of the store are laptop bags and an array of software titles. There is a gaming zone featuring a 94-inch widescreen, with seating and an array of controllers to play with. The store design is centered on three core principles: elevating customer choice, providing more value and delivering great service.
GNC Unveils New Retail Environment Offering One-Stop Shopping
GNC has unveiled a new retail experience that will serve as the company’s prototype for the future. The store seeks to transform the brand into the premier health and wellness resource for the entire family. Consumers will experience an entirely new retail environment, including new product categories, a wider array of offerings and a new, modern design.
GNC recently opened the first concept store for this new retail environment in Pittsburgh, and plans to roll it out in other locations throughout the U.S. GNC's new 3,000 sq. ft. location is a one-stop shopping experience offering nearly triple the number of products available in today’s GNC stores, with 1,000 new items. It features a comprehensive portfolio of health, well being and sports nutrition products as well as expanded product offerings in the categories of natural health and healing, probiotics, cleansing, proteins and health and beauty. GNC tapped the retail design firm Arnell to develop the new prototype.
Organic Valley & Ray’s Food Place Announce EcoUnit Program
Organic Valley and Ray's Food Place have joined forces with EcoUnit to launch a shopper rewards program that awards customers with EcoUnit credits that can be redeemed to support local stewardship projects like tree planting, river restoration, removal of invasive species and watershed clean-up. A purchase of any Organic Valley product from Ray's Food Place stores will earn shoppers EcoUnit credits they can redeem to support projects of their choice.
By partnering with Organic Valley and Ray's Food Place stores to launch this program, San Francicso-based EcoUnit hopes to create awareness of the loss of forests and degradation of fresh water supplies.
Coca-Cola Announces Commitment To Place Energy Info On Front Of Packaging
Coca-Cola Co. has announced global plans to include energy information per serving on the front of nearly all product packages in a move to increase consumers’ awareness about the calorie content of its beverages. Coca-Cola is the first company in the beverage industry to make this kind of international commitment.
The new labels seek to make it easier for consumers to make informed decisions about the beverages they drink based on their own individual taste preferences and nutritional needs. Coca-Cola’s global commitment is to have front-of-pack energy information on all products by the end of 2011. Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO, said, “Now more than ever, people expect facts about the products they consume to be both readily available and visible.”
Sutter Home Advances Sustainability With 187mL Plastic Wine Bottles
Sutter Home Winery, a leading producer of single-serving 187mL wines, is now using PET bottles from Ball Corp. for all 187mL wine bottles sold throughout the U.S. The bottles feature Plasmax(R), a transparent, internal silicon oxide (SiOx) barrier coating technology that protects the wine inside the bottle, provides exceptional clarity and does not contaminate the PET recycling stream because it is easily removed during the recycling process.
“Sutter Home switched to plastic wine bottles because of our ongoing efforts to become more environmentally friendly,” said Wendy Nyberg, Marketing Director for Sutter Home. “The plastic bottles weigh only one sixth what the glass bottles weigh, so consumers get the same amount of wine in a smaller, unbreakable, less wasteful and recyclable bottle.”
L.L.Bean Opens Home Store In Freeport, ME
L.L.Bean has opened its new Home store in Freeport, Maine. “Our new Home store space will allow our customers a much more interesting shopping experience and different ways to view our new product selection,” said Ken Kacere, L.L.Bean’s Sr. V.P. & G.M. of Retail. “The store will bring our catalog offerings to life, and customers will also discover one-of-a-kind hand-made items, a selection of vintage pieces, as well as their favorite L.L.Bean home classics.”
L.L.Bean’s new Home store is designed with an old-time general store feel and features unique lighting, tin ceilings and custom fixtures made from locally reclaimed and recycled materials. In the tradition of the historic Flagship store, the new Home store will be open 24 hours every day.
Martha Stewart Living Brand Develops Products For Home Depot Stores
The Home Depot and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia have developed an exclusive Martha Stewart Living brand of home improvement products in select categories including Outdoor Living, Home Organization and Home Decor.
“Our partnership with Martha Stewart is a natural fit. For years both organizations have been the go-to destination for consumers seeking ideas and information regarding their home improvement projects,” said Frank Blake, CEO, The Home Depot.
The Outdoor Living line will consist of many different styles of patio dining and conversation sets, while the Home Organization category will feature a new closet organization system and a versatile nine-cube organizational unit.
Element Hotels Installs Electric Car Charging Station
Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ eco-chic Element Hotels brand has formed a partnership with Carbon Day Automotive to install a ChargePoint™ Networked Charging Station at its Element Lexington hotel.
Both guests and travelers in the area can simply swipe a keyfob, plug in and charge up their electric vehicles at the station. A first in the hotel industry, travelers will be able to locate the charging station and even determine whether it is currently unoccupied by using Google™ maps. The ChargePoint Networked Charging Station is the most recent in a series of green initiatives implemented at Element Hotels, Starwood's working laboratory for green design, practices and operations. The hotels also provide preferred parking for drivers of hybrid or electric cars and “bikes to borrow” for guests. Element mandates that its properties pursue the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.
“By offering a charging station for electric vehicles, we are deepening our commitment to greener travel as a key part of an environmentally responsible lifestyle,” said Brian McGuinness, Sr. V.P., Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
Burger King Testing Electricity Generating Device For Drive-Thrus
A Burger King franchise in Hillside, NJ is testing a MotionPower™ prototype from New Energy Technologies for generating electricity from the movement of cars and light trucks at its drive-thru.
New Energy engineers have developed MotionPower™ technologies, designed to generate ‘clean’ electricity by harnessing the kinetic energy of the estimated 250 million registered vehicles which drive more than 6 billion miles on America’s roadways every day.
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