For EDGE-certified retail establishments, green means growing the customer base.
Retail centers typically spend 11% of their total operating costs and 19% of their net revenue on energy. With EDGE certification, they can reduce their overhead and benefit from less dependence on energy, attracting customers who care about the environment.
The EDGE software relies on such inputs as the average footfall rate, number of floors and building orientation, in order to create a base case model. This makes it easy for retailers to decide what works best for the way their particular business operates and their customers’ preferences. Several types of buildings can be certified, including shopping malls, department stores, supermarkets or big box retail.
Branding a chain or outlet as EDGE certified provides a marketing advantage over the competition, winning customers who are savvy about where they shop. That is why for retail establishments in emerging markets, EDGE is a great selling point.