Kohl’s Celebrates 1,000th Store Milestone
from the Business Wire
Kohl’s Department Stores is celebrating the opening of its 1,000th store, marking an important milestone in company history. The accomplishment is part of a 47-store expansion this fall which includes 45 stores that are built according to a design that is LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) pre-certified at the Silver level from the U.S. Green Building Council. More

Bailout Vote: Tough Times Ahead
from Sky News
As the financial turmoil and its toxic aftermath seeps from Wall Street to Main Street, Americans are poised to enter a period of thrift and austerity, according to leading figures in the U.S. retail and advertising sectors. More

Jewelers Brace for Bad Holiday Season
from The Philadelphia Inquirer
Ordinarily, Philadelphia jeweler Matthew Sulby said, he'd be "feeling butterflies" about now, laying in inventory ahead of the exciting Christmas season that for decades made his cash register overflow. Not so this year. In a nation traumatized by uncertainty over the government's $700 billion economic rescue plan, Sulby's plea for relief is more Main Street prayer than Wall Street wish. More

Senate Passes Renewable Tax Credits Alongside Bailout Package
from Business Green
In a surprise move, the U.S. renewable tax credits that are due to expire at the end of the year could be renewed by the end of the week after legislation extending the tax breaks was attached to the controversial $700 billion economic rescue bill passed recently by the Senate. In an attempt to sweeten the bill – which was rejected on Monday by the House of Representatives in a move that sent global stock markets into freefall – senate leaders added new measures to increase the government's guarantee on people's savings to $250,000 and a raft of new tax breaks, including those for renewable energy installations backed by the Senate in a separate vote last week. More

Sunny Day For Solar
from Forbes
Solar-generated electricity, long decried as too expensive to be practical, may have gotten a little closer to being competitive. The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 would extend the 30 percent tax credit, which is due to expire at the end of the year, on the upfront cost of solar installations. More

Chipotle Pushes Sustainable Design Powered by the Wind and Sun
from The Wall Street Journal
Chipotle Mexican Grill, known as the leader in making high-end dining and top quality ingredients available to everyone, is now leading the charge on more environmentally responsible building designs. Chipotle will open a "green" restaurant in Gurnee, Ill., with a six-kilowatt wind turbine on-site that will generate a portion of the restaurant's electrical needs. More

Power from the Restless Sea Stirs the Imagination
from The New York Times
For years, technological visionaries have painted a seductive vision of using ocean tides and waves to produce power. They foresee large installations off the coast and in tidal estuaries that could provide as much as 10 percent of the nation’s electricity. More

Wal-Mart Cuts Prices on Toys for Holidays
from The Wall Street Journal
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it will cut prices on some of the most popular toys and speed up the opening of Christmas shops in its stores nationwide as it tries to lure budget-conscious shoppers and jump start its biggest selling season. More

Cleantech Investment Surge Defies Downturn
from Business Green
Investment in clean technology and greener business models are continuing grow, largely resisting the effects of the financial turmoil gripping the world's markets, according to two reports recently released. A new survey of 150 of the world's largest companies published today by consultancy giant Ernst & Young, found that 90 percent are now undertaking climate change initiatives with disclosed financial commitments of $276 billion over the next decade. More

With Domestic Opportunities Limited, Mall Giant Exploring Overseas Markets
from Indianapolis Business Journal
Simon Property Group Inc. has been readying its balance sheet and sizing up buyout targets in hopes of capitalizing on a worldwide markdown on shopping-center owners. The Indianapolis-based company has waited on the sidelines more than 18 months since its last big deal, the $1.6 billion purchase of Mills Corp. with Farrallon Capital Management. But all signs suggest the quiet period for the mall giant won’t last much longer. More

Energy Savings Make the Case for an HVAC Upgrade
from Reliable Plant
Focusing on predictive maintenance, Rules Of Thumb For Maintenance And Reliability Engineers, is a guide to best practices for maintaining machinery and systems assets. The book explains how readers can create and nurture a work culture that values predictive maintenance over reactive maintenance. More

Employee Free Choice Act Promises Freedom, Fairness to Working Americans
from The Tennessean
Free choice does not mean secret ballots. Free choice for the workers of America means the right to choose to fight for better wages, benefits and working conditions while being unencumbered by the often-tyrannical influence of management. Free choice in the workplace means that employees start on even ground with their employers when bargaining for a better life. More

Shoplifter Program Saves Retailers Time
from The Sacramento Bee
U.S. retailers lost $34.8 billion in 2007 from theft, with shoplifting accounting for $11.8 billion or 34 percent of the total, according to the National Retail Security Survey from the University of Florida. But retailers in Elk Grove, Calif., can now save a little time through a program being offered by the Elk Grove Police Department. More