How Staples is building a sustainable brand
Brandweek
Staples recently received LEED Gold certification for its store in Roslindale, Mass., near Boston. The store has everything from carpets made of sustainable materials to water-saving toilets. These are only the latest green initiatives for a company that has made sustainability a core part of its brand identity for years. This includes an "EcoEasy" program that draws consumers to a range of recyclable and earth-friendly products, without costing them more money.More

CIT Group's future remains up in the air after bankruptcy filing
Los Angeles Times
On the heels of its bankruptcy filing, CIT Group Inc.'s future as a commercial lending giant will be determined by the confidence of its creditors and customers. The 101-year-old lender's months-long financial struggles already have been a boon to rivals, which have picked up hundreds of CIT clients. But it is unclear whether those rivals will have the means to pose a real threat. With $71 billion in assets, CIT serves 2,000 vendors that supply merchandise to 300,000 stores, according to the National Retail Federation.More

Retail sales continue to climb in October
Los Angeles Times
The retail industry continued its slow and steady climb in October, with healthy sales that marked the second straight month of gains. Year-over-year retail sales rose 2.1 percent, the best showing since July 2008, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers' tally of 32 major chain stores. "Further evidence of retail recovery continues to unfold as October comparable-store sales have outperformed the year-to-date reading in every category," said Michael Niemira, the group's chief economist.More

Retailers scramble to adapt to new realities
MSNBC
The recession has dramatically changed many Americans' shopaholic habits, at least temporarily and perhaps forever. Now the question is whether the nation’s retailers have kept up. "The answer is no," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst with NPD Group.More

Dick's Sporting Goods expanding to Washington
The Seattle Times
Dick's Sporting Goods, a Pittsburgh chain with more than 400 stores in 40 states — though not yet Washington — plans to open at South Hill Mall in Puyallup next spring. The new Dick's store will cover nearly 60,000 square feet of space previously occupied by Circuit City and Linens 'n Things. Dick's operates mostly in the eastern half of the United States. Lately, it has been expanding on the West Coast, with 15 stores in California. It has one in Oregon, with six more locations there "coming soon."More

Restaurants in rebound
Forbes
With earnings season getting into full swing this week, investors are looking for signs that companies can grow their sales, not just fire workers to preserve profits. Consumers, who drive much of this country’s economic growth, have mostly stayed on the sidelines, though, thanks to high unemployment and continuing home foreclosures. Restaurants may be the place to look for hints of a consumer rebound as families decide where to start spending their extra cash again, says analyst Larry Miller of RBC Capital Markets.More

Borders offers free shipping on out-of-stock items
Reuters
Borders Group Inc took the latest step in the battle for book buyers this holiday season, promising customers it will ship items to their homes for free when they're out of stock in the company's bookstores. The in-stock guarantee applies to books and other items carried on the company's web site. When a customer cannot find an item in a Borders store, the company will ship it to the shopper's home for free. Borders said it believes the program is the first of its kind in the book industry.More

Retailers try for edge with holiday shoppers
NPR
The holiday retail season is here. Last year retailers got slammed with a lot of unsold inventory as the economy collapsed, and they don't want that to happen again. So this time around, they are carrying less merchandise, and are trying to lure customers in early.More

Microsoft's retail store debut
OnWindows.com
When Microsoft launched Windows 7 it also announced its first ever venture into the world of brick and mortar retail by opening a store in Arizona. The Microsoft Store consists of four zones that focus on different types of technology experiences. Laptops are front and center, the walls are lined with giant LCD screens displaying landscapes and product images, while below this PCs are set up with Zunes, Xbox consoles, headphones and widescreen displays. The rear of the store consists of a gaming zone complete with 94-inch widescreen.More

Kohl's continues to stay green
Retailing Today
Kohl's announced that for the second time the company holds the top spot in retail on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's quarterly rankings of top green power purchasers in EPA's Green Power Partnership. Since the last quarterly rankings were announced in July, Kohl's has increased its green power purchase by more than 42 percent. Throughout 2009, Kohl's has purchased more than 851 million kilowatt-hours kWh in renewable energy credits. This purchase is enough to meet 71 percent of the company's purchased electricity use, which means that more than 70 percent of Kohl's energy comes from renewable resources.More

Best Buy launching digital movie service with CinemaNow
Los Angeles Times
One of the nation's biggest sellers of DVDs is making a leap into movie downloading. Best Buy Inc. is expected to announce today that it is partnering with online video provider CinemaNow to create a movie downloading service that would be integrated into most devices the electronics retailer sells that can be connected to the Internet, including televisions, DVD players, computers and phones. Facing an industrywide decline in sales of physical media such as DVDs and CDs, Best Buy has been making an aggressive push into digital delivery. Last year the company acquired online music service Napster for $121 million.More