Toys "R" Us announced plans to incorporate sustainable features into 21 new stores that will open by the end of 2011, as well as 23 stores currently being remodeled.
The company says the new designs will reduce its overall impact on the environment and diminish the company’s carbon footprint by conserving energy and minimizing waste.
Store features will include:
- A state-of-the-art Energy Management System that monitors environmental conditions and adjusts temperature, lighting and CO2 levels throughout the store to use natural light and reduce energy consumption
- A custom daylight harvesting system including skylights, cutting-edge dimmable fixtures and lighting sensors that reduce up to 50% of electricity use during the day
- LED lighting fixtures in outdoor signage, replacing fluorescents
- Low-flow toilets, automatic faucets and flush valves to conserve water
- High efficiency automatic hand dryers that use 80% less energy than standard hand dryers while eliminating the need for paper towels
- A cardboard baler that facilitates recycling
- Low volatile organic compound (VOC) paint and floor adhesives
- A vestibule entry system to reduce outside contaminants from being tracked into the store, while improving indoor air quality
- White reflective roofs that significantly reduce a building’s energy demand
The new stores and remodels are part of Toys"R"Us’ initiative to bring its Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores together under one roof or in a side-by-side format.
Toys"R"Us, Inc. embarked on its integrated store strategy in 2006, and since then has converted more than 100 traditional stores in the US to the Side-by-Side format. The company has a total of 874 stores nationwide.
In 2007, the company opened the first of its new "R" Superstores, which feature full-size Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores under one roof and are approximately 60,000 square feet. By the end of 2011, the company will operate 43 "R" Superstores nationwide.
Earlier this year, Toys"R"Us, Inc. plans to build North America’s largest rooftop solar power installation at its distribution center in Flanders, NJ.
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