By late October, Belcaro will have a new tenant and a new concept to supply the increasing demand for sustainable products by green-minded consumers.

In an article by Heather Clancy, a senior director at Office Depot, said the move was an efforts to reduce the retail footprint, the energy footprint and the OfficeDepot’s carbon footprint.  The smaller-format 7,000-square-feet size space will be staffed by 18 full-time and part-time employees. The company isn’t planning a national roll out of the concept until it assesses how it works, although it is testing stores in 11 cities, including Washington, D.C., Baltimore, St. Petersburg, Fla., and Hoboken, N.J.

If this takes hold, the 41 new stores will be a model for the future resulting in an overall electricity consumption reduction of about 20 percent. The stores are designed with an energy management system that reuses shelves and fixtures, makes use of recycled carpet and is finished with materials that emit low levels of volatile organic compounds.

Going green isn’t just trendy, it is good business.

Industry analysts say it’s a national trend as retailers look to curtail costs while trying to compete with online rivals.  Staples, Target and Walmart are exploring smaller concepts as well.  If you are purchasing as much online product and services as we are now, online sales and the downsizing of brick-and-mortar stores is a trend we will not see going backward anytime soon.  In fact, probably never.

We do know Belcaro shopping center has had a long history of success.  Combined with the eco-friendly concept, the new space should do better than the current location due to better traffic access on Colorado Blvd. as well as increased visibility.

We stopped by Office Depot and confirmed they are moving to the former Blockbuster space at the north end of the Center.   Not only is Belcaro experimenting with a new concept, the shopping center and neighborhood has a history of trend-setting.  Belcaro was named after the mansion to the West built in 1932 for Lawrence C. Phipps, the U.S. Senator.

Belcaro means “beautiful dear one” in Italian, as Phipps believed his 33,123-square-foot mansion to be.  Some even call it “Denver’s Grandest Mansion.”

Prior to Blockbuster, Hodel’s Drugs occupied the space.  Merv Hodel was a pharmacist.  Prior to this he played for the New York Giants and had been a football and track star at the University of Colorado.

In addition to the Belcaro space, another Office Depot small-store will be going the parking lot at East Colfax Avenue and Pearl Street near Argonaut Liquors, which is by the way said to be the most energy-efficient liquor store in the world.

We wish Office Depot luck with the new concept, and hope it catches on with Denver consumers.

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