Will green building and green products be retailers’ salvation?

A Wall Street Journal article this week (July 9, page B8), “Retailers recalibrate pitch to strapped consumers,” points out that some retailers are investing money to differentiate themselves, trying to boost market share and be ready to grow again when the recession ends. Could green buildings and greater green product selections be coming to the top of the pile of retailers’s ideas?

The Journal article points out that Home Depot, Wal-Mart Stores, Best Buy, CVS Caremark and Walgreen are taking various steps to appeal to cash strapped consumers, such as remodeling their stores, spending more on store maintenance and investing more in customer service (what a concept!). Overlooked in the article is that each of these outfits is also taking a long look at using LEED certification and/or green product selections to stand out also. For example, Home Depot has LEED-certified a store in Calgary, Alberta, and also green-certified more than 1,500 items for their “Eco Options” program. Best Buy is promising to LEED certify all new stores. CVS is looking at LEED certifying one of their prototype stores in California, according to industry rumors. Wal-Mart just introduced a nearly 50% less-energy-using store prototype for the western U.S. Who will be next? Stay tuned!

Posted by on 07/11/2008 at 01:50 PM