ARLINGTON, Va. - Reducing energy costs, sustainability and green store design are high priorities for supermarket operators, according to Food Marketing Institute Facts About Store Development 2007 survey, highlights of which were announced yesterday. About a third of respondents, who were polled on their practices in 2006, are pursuing sustainability initiatives related to new buildings or remodels, and 40% percent plan to do so in the next five years, FMI said. Twenty percent said they already use recycled materials in construction, and more than half of respondents (58.5%) said they are looking to options for green construction. The survey also found that retrofitting of existing buildings outpaced new-store construction in 2006 for the first time since 2001, with 60.6% of new-store openings taking place in existing store locations. The median new store cost more than $6.5 million to build in 2006 and increased slightly in size to 46,000 square feet, up from 44,753 square feet in the preceding year.

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