Many supermarkets, including Hannaford, strive for sustainability (Maine)

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http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=9825

Hannaford Bros. Co. plans to open a new supermarket in Augusta next year, built to standards that will make it the most environmentally friendly in the country. Will that make area residents more likely to shop there? Maybe, if the company sets up school tours and store displays to explain the special features, as it is considering, and invites shoppers to classes focused on environmental and energy issues.

"We want to take full advantage of the consumer education opportunities associated with this store," said Caren Epstein, a Hannaford spokeswoman. The 49,000-square-foot store will cost more to build than a conventional supermarket, but less to operate. Goodwill and customer loyalty, Hannaford hopes, will be an added benefit.

Hannaford's decision is part of a wider trend in the supermarket business -- a move toward sustainability -- designing stores powered by renewable energy; striving to recycle all waste; working with suppliers to reduce packaging: These are examples of how supermarkets are embracing sustainability as an opportunity to cut costs and boost sales. "It's just a tidal wave in our industry," said Jeanne von Zastrow, a senior director at the Food Marketing Institute. Von Zastrow sits on a task force made up of 22 supermarket representatives, including Epstein, and an executive from Supervalu, the parent company of Shaw's Supermarkets. The task force defines sustainability as, "business practices that promote the long-term well-being of the environment, society and the bottom line."

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The Augusta store will feature solar electric panels, geothermal heating and cooling and a vegetation-topped roof to help manage stormwater. The project also plans to recycle a high percentage of the old Cony High School building, which now stands on the site. These and other extra measures will allow the building to be certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as a platinum-level LEED building, the highest designation. Hannaford is the first supermarket to meet that industry standard.

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