Last week, The Bellevue Collection celebrated the launch of what will likely be the future for many shopping centers: its electric vehicle charging stations.

The center has 15 locations set up with networked charging stations. It spread the stations out throughout its parking areas so visitors wouldn’t be tied to one specific entrance. And to get off on the best foot with shoppers, ChargeNorthwest Jim Billmaier, and Kemper Development Company Glen Bachman hosted the announcement event. They had several electric vehicles including the Nissan LEAF and Tesla Roadsters on display to demonstrate how the charge stations work.

In other great green news, Simon Property Group has brought in Lighting Science Group’s high-performance and ultra-efficient LED bulbs. The bulbs have been installed in Simon mall kiosks across the U.S.

“[The] bulbs are a dramatic improvement in terms of efficiency, longevity, color rendering, and output over what we previously had installed in our mall kiosks,” said George Caraghiaur, Senior Vice President, Energy Services & Procurement for Simon Property Group.

Meanwhile, Pi’ilani Village Shopping Center has contracted HNU Energy for a large-scale project to convert the center to clean, renewable energy. The agreement includes LED lighting, distributed solar photovoltaic power generation, and sophisticated system-wide monitoring and maintenance protocols.

As sales skid, shoppers hold on to day at the mall

Associated Press, US

The parking lots at the biggest shopping centers are still filling up on weekends, the food courts bustle with hungry customers and walkways are crowded with gangly teenagers and stroller-wielding moms. Look closely, though, and you’ll see there aren’t many bags. That’s because shoppers at some of the country’s busiest retail centers aren’t buying. Not much, anyway …

Retail group urges stimulus vouchers instead of cash

ABC News, AU

The Senate has been urged to give out vouchers instead of cash payments in its economic stimulus package. A Senate committee is examining the Government’s proposed $42 billion plan which includes $950 payments to a wide range of people …

Consumer Behaviour: All in the mind

Retail Week, UK

You wouldn’t expect the editorial team of a lads’ magazine to be staffed entirely by women, would you? Imagine it, a group of women sat around a table trying to decide the ultimate cool gadgets for men or, for that matter, choose the “High street honey of the week”. The point is, retail businesses are largely run by men. And no matter how hard they try, men cannot think like women and vice versa …

Retailers eye eastern Europe

The Straits Times, SG

Russia and Turkey will be among the destinations of choice for international retailers plotting counter-cyclical expansion drives in 2009, an exclusive report obtained by Reuters showed on Tuesday …

Coupon clipping makes a comeback

Financial Times, UK

As US consumer demand falters, the humble money-off coupon – rather than the high-profile advertising campaign – is emerging as a new battleground for some of America’s biggest packaged goods brands …

Was it business as usual for retailers at Dubai Shopping Festival this time?

Gulf News

As the 32-day Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), comes to a close, it is time to add up the savings. Were retailers across the city, decked out in eye-grabbing banners vying for customer attention, successful? …

What might a green shopping mall look like?

Fast Company

Apparently, the idea of a green shopping mall isn’t an utter absurdity. Sparch Architects has just finished designing a million-square-foot shopping mall for Kuala Lampur, and their vision is maximally green, and maximally livable. The building is to be an anchor for an urban revival …

Macarthur Square is doing its part for the environment with the “It’s In Our Hands” environmental expo. The expo follows several environmental initiatives for the Australian shopping centre, including a composting worm farm, rainwater tanks, and a recycling program.

The shopping center is partnering with a number of environmental and government organizations to put on the expo, which aims to help local residents effect positive change in their local environment.

Shoppers can learn how to reduce their waste, and water and energy use at home. They can also measure their carbon footprint, and measure their own energy and water efficiency.  Reusable bags are on offer, with environmental tips and retail discounts, and green prizes are available too.

No big surprises in this event, but it’s nice to see shopping centers still focusing on the environment. Do you think green marketing is more or less important during the current economic troubles we’re all experiencing?

Modus, developers of the upcoming Newport shopping center Friars Walk, has planted the seeds of a long lasting relationship with its customers-to-be. Last November, the developers held an Information Day to inform Newport residents of the progress and plans for Friars Walk, and over the course of the day gave out 500 “grow your own” Christmas Trees.

Now Modus is maintaining the relationships that were developed on that day. It’s put out a call for updates and photos of the status of the saplings, along with tips for growing strong, healthy Christmas trees. It may be a small initiative, but it’s helping Modus develop deep roots of community integration, part of the developer’s larger plan.

Cause Marketing: Cause Marketing is the art of combining your commercial brand with a non-profit issue. Cause marketing campaigns have years of history and range from relatively superficial tactical partnerships, to long-term, strategic alliances that penetrate deeply into business and nonprofit organizations.

When you champion a cause, it’s important to put your money where your mouth is.  Regency Centers has recently taken a stand for green building practices and sustainable retail strategies with its “greengenuity” plan, and now the developer is proving that its environmental plans are much more than greenwashing.

The developer has invested in “smart” irrigation controls for 36 of its shopping centers, in Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. The irrigation controls may save more than 42 million gallons of water per year, a boon for the environment, the company, and its tenants.

The new irrigation controllers can adjust their schedules based on local weather information, preventing over watering in wetter times. This is a win-win situation for Regency, since it saves water costs, sewer overcharges and landscaping damage, while conserving a valuable resource and limiting runoff.  If the controllers are a success, the developer will be rolling them out to the rest of its portfolio.

It’s great to see a company stand behind its values, especially in such an economically sensible way.