News Briefs

IKEA is looking to improve accessibility to electric vehicle charging, offering public charging stations and delivery fleet electric vehicle charging at more than 25 IKEA retail locations across the U.S.  

The effort is part of IKEA’s goal to be a climate positive business by 2030. To do so, the company has partnered with Electrify America and Electrify Commercial — a collaboration that will allow IKEA to quadruple its total number of EV chargers. 

There will now be a total of more than 200 individual ultra-fast chargers being offered at IKEA retail locations across the country in states like Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. 

The first locations are expected to open in late 2022 and be completed by the end of 2023.  

[Read more: Amazon Rolling Out Electric Delivery Vehicles Across the U.S.]

“At IKEA, we believe that we must work together with our partners to tackle climate change and create solutions for a greener future. This collaboration with Electrify America will not only bring ultra-fast public chargers to our stores for the first time, but it will also help us take a big leap as we work towards our targets to become circular and climate positive,” said Javier Quiñones, CEO and chief sustainability officer, IKEA U.S. “We look forward to continuing to innovate around new ways we can make our everyday lives more sustainable.” 

“We are excited to establish both public and commercial fleet charging stations with IKEA — a brand that shares our goal of a more sustainable future,” said Giovanni Palazzo, president and CEO of Electrify America. “Through this collaboration, Electrify America, Electrify Commercial and IKEA U.S. are leading a path forward for customers and businesses toward zero-emission transportation.” 

IKEA is looking to improve accessibility to electric vehicle charging, offering public charging stations and delivery fleet electric vehicle charging at more than 25 IKEA retail locations across the U.S.  

The effort is part of IKEA’s goal to be a climate positive business by 2030. To do so, the company has partnered with Electrify America and Electrify Commercial — a collaboration that will allow IKEA to quadruple its total number of EV chargers. 

There will now be a total of more than 200 individual ultra-fast chargers being offered at IKEA retail locations across the country in states like Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. 

The first locations are expected to open in late 2022 and be completed by the end of 2023.  

“At IKEA, we believe that we must work together with our partners to tackle climate change and create solutions for a greener future. This collaboration with Electrify America will not only bring ultra-fast public chargers to our stores for the first time, but it will also help us take a big leap as we work towards our targets to become circular and climate positive,” said Javier Quiñones, CEO and chief sustainability officer, IKEA U.S. “We look forward to continuing to innovate around new ways we can make our everyday lives more sustainable.” 

“We are excited to establish both public and commercial fleet charging stations with IKEA — a brand that shares our goal of a more sustainable future,” said Giovanni Palazzo, president and CEO of Electrify America. “Through this collaboration, Electrify America, Electrify Commercial and IKEA U.S. are leading a path forward for customers and businesses toward zero-emission transportation.” 

IKEA is looking to improve accessibility to electric vehicle charging, offering public charging stations and delivery fleet electric vehicle charging at more than 25 IKEA retail locations across the U.S.  

The effort is part of IKEA’s goal to be a climate positive business by 2030. To do so, the company has partnered with Electrify America and Electrify Commercial — a collaboration that will allow IKEA to quadruple its total number of EV chargers. 

There will now be a total of more than 200 individual ultra-fast chargers being offered at IKEA retail locations across the country in states like Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. 

The first locations are expected to open in late 2022 and be completed by the end of 2023.  

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“At IKEA, we believe that we must work together with our partners to tackle climate change and create solutions for a greener future. This collaboration with Electrify America will not only bring ultra-fast public chargers to our stores for the first time, but it will also help us take a big leap as we work towards our targets to become circular and climate positive,” said Javier Quiñones, CEO and chief sustainability officer, IKEA U.S. “We look forward to continuing to innovate around new ways we can make our everyday lives more sustainable.” 

“We are excited to establish both public and commercial fleet charging stations with IKEA — a brand that shares our goal of a more sustainable future,” said Giovanni Palazzo, president and CEO of Electrify America. “Through this collaboration, Electrify America, Electrify Commercial and IKEA U.S. are leading a path forward for customers and businesses toward zero-emission transportation.” 

Kohl’s Self-Pickup is now available at all stores across the U.S. for eligible Kohls.com orders. The expanded service is helping the brand prepare for a pick-up in online orders ahead of the holiday shopping season. 

More than 1,100 stores across the country will provide the service, which allows consumers to select “in-store pickup” for their online order, which can be ready within two hours. Consumers are then directed to pick up their order within the store through a quick, email-guided process. 

The company stated consumers can also take advantage of the Kohl’s App and Kohl’s Pay for shopping on the go:

• Kohl’s App: Shoppers can scan and store Kohl’s gift cards, Kohl’s Cash coupons and savings offers, and manage and redeem Kohl’s Rewards in the mobile wallet for easy access at checkout.
• Kohl’s Pay: Shoppers can quickly pay by connecting to a Kohl’s Card account and applying offers and coupons with one scan.

“Our teams have been working hard to ensure Kohl’s Self-Pickup service was available for all of our customers ahead of the holiday rush,” said Siobhán Mc Feeney, Kohl’s chief technology officer. “At Kohl’s, we’re focused on listening to what shoppers want, and using technology to make it as easy as possible for families to get everything they need quickly, and through a simple experience.”

“Our customers love the convenience of same-day Buy Online, Pickup In-Store, and now we’re taking the experience to the next level. With some of the busiest months ahead for both customers and associates, we’re excited to offer Self-Pickup at every store for an easier and more efficient omnichannel experience,” added Mc Feeney.

Chico’s FAS has committed to a digital-first transformation by taking its next step to accelerate its IT architecture growth. 

The company has partnered with fabric and Bounteous to leverage a commerce technology platform and implementation service that will allow the company to make strides toward building out a connected commerce platform. 

[Read more: Chico's Upgrades Tech Stack With New Partnership]

As part of Chico’s strategy, the company is focusing on connected commerce, data centricity, and technology enablement, and a streamlined approach will allow the company to offer seamless, personalized integration for in-person and digital experiences.

Using modular technology, the company is looking to improve its digital touchpoint and create strong experiences in cross-platform shopping, virtual stylist programs, and more. In addition to consumer-facing improvements, Chico’s is also working to bring intelligence and efficiency to post-sale customer service functions to collect insights from the entire commerce journey; elevate product, marketing, experiences, and operations; and ultimately enhance customer conversion, retention and loyalty.

"Chico's FAS is so attuned to its customer, and its commitment to give her the very best brand experiences has been clear from day one. As a company equally passionate about creating exceptional consumer-centric experiences, this is one of the many reasons we are excited to co-innovate with Chico's FAS and fabric to transform commerce for its brands," said Jen Spofford, EVP, managing director at Bounteous.

"The partnership between Chico's FAS, Bounteous, and fabric represents the future of commerce, where each party brings their expertise to build innovative and exceptional experiences for customers," said Ben Pressley, chief revenue officer for fabric. 

As over 40% of all Chico's FAS purchases are made online, the retailer is investing heavily in establishing a digital ecosystem that delivers a modern commerce experience and meets consumers’ evolving needs.

"We live in a digital-first world, and in continuing to modernize our consumer experience, we are thrilled to debut this collaborative alliance with fabric and Bounteous," said Jay Topper, chief digital officer of Chico's FAS. "This is a three-way partnership that will pay dividends within our digital and customer-first pillars for years to come."

The Body Shop is expanding its partnership with Uber Technologies, Inc. to include almost all the company’s retail stores across the U.S.

The expansion kicks in on August 10, making more than 2,000 of the beauty retailer's most popular items available for purchase and on-demand delivery through the Uber Eats app from 75 of The Body Shop’s stores. This expansion brings new locations to the Uber platform and allows consumers in new cities including Illinois, Nevada, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Alaska, and Hawaii to shop for The Body Shop products through Uber Eats.

This partnership builds on the 2020 launch that brought six pilot locations to the Uber Eats and Cornershop apps, offering products from across the company’s haircare, body care and skincare lines. Uber One members benefit from $0 Delivery Fee on all The Body Shop orders with $15 minimum purchase.  

“Two years since The Body Shop pilot program with Uber Eats began, we’re thrilled to expand our partnership to now offer reliable, fast, same-day delivery to all of our US customers, in 75 stores across the country,” said Aliza Birnberg-Perruzzi, AVP, Marketing, US, The Body Shop. “Uber Eats allows us to continue to meet our existing customers changing shopping habits and grow our customer base by meeting the needs of the beauty consumer in the US today.” 

This expansion marks Uber’s ongoing commitment to the retail and grocery categories. Uber is uniquely poised to meet consumers’ growing desire to get things in an on-demand fashion within hours—if not minutes—rather than days. 

“When it comes to delivery at Uber, we strive to be able to get consumers whatever they want, when they want it - and that includes their beauty must-haves,” said Christian Freese, head of New Verticals for Uber Eats in the US & Canada. “Beauty is an exciting space for us, and expanding with The Body Shop, a beauty industry staple for over 40 years, will allow us to bring on-demand cosmetic and personal care items to even more people across the country.”