Sustainability is no longer a trend, but a core responsibility that companies must take seriously. We are leading the way with innovative solutions that not only reduce our environmental footprint but also bring economic benefits. Just recently, we introduced Green Lease agreements with our major real estate partners to this end.
Together for a greener future
Green leases are distinct contracts between landlord and tenant which include a specific legal clause that aims for more environmental friendly real estate use including the reduction of CO₂ emissions through mutual sharing of responsibility. These agreements already affect around 170 DOUGLAS and NOCIBÉ stores, which makes up about 10% of the entire network. We plan to further expand the number of green leases in close collaboration with our major real estate partners, such as the ECE Group and Klépierre. We are actively engaged in advanced discussions with a range of further landlords – with a wider implementation planned for the future. The agreements cover a wide range of sustainable measures, such as the use of energy-efficient technologies and the integration of renewable energies.
Sander van der Laan, DOUGLAS Group CEO, explains: “We are 100% committed to making our stores, offices and warehouses as sustainable as possible. As a retailer with around 1,700 stores under own operations across Europe, we take our responsibility very seriously and know that we have a major impact. The Green Lease agreements underscore our engagement for sustainability and aim to reduce our environmental impact. Our stores generate the highest energy consumption within our group and by closely collaborating with our real estate partners, we take a great step towards our long-term vision for a greener, more energy-efficient store network.”
Energy efficiency as the key to reducing our environmental footprint
In addition to Green Leases, we are implementing further initiatives and activities in order to increase the sustainable use of our real estate. These include the Group-wide rollout of so called “Smart Meters”, which allow for an improved monitoring of energy consumption. We are committed to install the technology in a majority of our stores and offices by the end of the financial year 2024/25.
We also achieved major progress in transitioning to renewable energy sources: We already use green electricity in both stores and offices in 50% of the countries in which we operate in, and plan to expand this initiative in the coming years.
Strong partnerships for a greener future
Marcel Uphues, SVP Group Controlling & Real Estate, explains: “We are proud to have strong partners at our side who support our commitment to make our stores as sustainable as possible. Closely working together with our real estate partners is crucial to our efforts to promote a greener, more sustainable future, and we can only achieve this goal by sharing responsibility. With this milestone, we are setting a benchmark for the retail industry and the real estate environment.
