Page 54 - HW June NEW 2022

global eyes
California
IKEA in the US and residential solar technology and energy services provider SunPower Corp are teaming up to offer home solar energy generation and storage solutions.
Initially available to members of the IKEA Family customer loyalty program, “Home Solar with IKEA”, is expected to launch in selected Californian markets in Autumn this year
“At IKEA, we’re passionate about helping our customers live a more sustainable life at home. We’re proud to collaborate with SunPower to bring this service to the US and enable our customers to make individual choices aimed at reducing their overall climate footprint,” said Javier Quiñones, CEO & Chief Sustainability Officer at IKEA US.
“The launch of Home Solar with IKEA will allow more people to take greater control of their energy needs, and our goal is to offer the clean energy service at additional IKEA locations in the future.”
“We are thrilled to deliver exceptional solar products to IKEA customers through a unique and simplified buying experience,” says Peter Faricy, SunPower CEO.
“Together with IKEA, we can help introduce the incredible benefits of
solar to more people and deliver on our shared value of making a positive impact on the planet.”
IKEA US also recently launched the Buy Back & Resell service nationally in 37 store locations, giving IKEA Family members the opportunity to sell back their “gently used” IKEA furniture in exchange for IKEA store credit.
As elsewhere in IKEA’s world, the furniture gets a chance at a second life when it’s resold in the store’s As-Is section.
www.ikea.com https://us.sunpower.com/
Homebase stays “fluid” against shrinkage
International movers & shakers
Solar gains in sunny
THE HOME DEPOT
has announced
Matt Carey in the
newly formed role
of Executive Vice
President (EVP)
of Customer
Experience. With
14 years already
under his tool
belt at The Home Depot as EVP and Chief Information Officer, since joining The Home Depot from eBay where
he was SVP and CTO, he has led the transformation of The Home Depot’s IT infrastructure and approach to software development.
Staying with the big orange, Fahim Siddiqui has been named EVP and Chief Information Officer (CIO), having joined
The Home Depot in 2018 as SVP
of Information Technology, where
he focused on
the development
of applications
and solutions for online, marketing, merchandising,
supply chain, data
and analytics function.
Last but not least, home improvement industry veteran and EDRA co-founder John W Herbert, General Secretary of the European DIY Retail Association (EDRA) and the Global Home Improvement Network (GHIN), is to be recognised with this year’s Global DIY-Lifetime Award at this month’s Global DIY-Summit in Copenhagen.
Born in York, England, John W Herbert celebrated his 80th birthday in April this year. He began his career in retail 65 years ago as a Shop Assistant at York Co-op and has worked in the DIY industry since 1983.
HOMEBASE HAS BEEN testing out a clever forensic marking system to protect valuable stock items against shrinkage and is now rolling out the SmartWater system into more stores, having seen a 20% reduction in stock loss in the high crime areas trialled.
SmartWater is described as a “traceable liquid and forensic asset marking solution” that is applied to items of value both to deter theft and support the
police in recovering stolen property and convicting the thieves.
SmartWater is a long-lasting forensic identifier that is invisible except under an ultraviolet black light and each bottle is unique, making it easy to identify the source of the theft and return the goods.
Homebase trialled SmartWater in key shrinkage categories, for example
applying the traceable liquid to power tools and other higher value items and found that displaying “Protected by SmartWater” signage prominently resulted in an immediate reduction in stock loss.
www.smartwatergroup.com
52 NZHJ | JUNE 2022
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