The first tenant in the new retail strip that will replace the China South restaurant has been announced: GoFroyo, a Spokane-based frozen yogurt seller, will take one of the end-cap locations. (End-cap means at the far left or far right bay of the strip, which could number up to six spots.)

Nancy Chen, GoFroyo's managing member, said GoFroyo is eager to move into the Lincoln Heights Shopping Center. She said a goal is to get inside the new building by the end of the year to finish store counters and install a floor. They hope to open in January or February at the latest.

While there is a Baskin-Robbins on one end and a Coldstone Creamery on the other end of Lincoln Heights, self-serve froyo stores that let consumers mix and match their own flavors are distinct enough to compete, Chen said. “Frozen yogurt is a healthier choice, in general, for many people,” she said.

GoFroyo will open its first store at Spokane Valley Plaza, in front of the Wal-Mart store. The second GoFroyo location, due to open in November, will be at the Nevada Towers Retail Center, near the Albertsons store at 6704 N. Nevada.

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Boise-based Albertsons has decided to close its Northwest Blvd. supermarket in north Spokane on Aug. 11.

The decision is based on business factors, Albertsons said in a release. Translated: it's not that profitable.

Albertsons opened the store when it was built, at 1617 Northwest Blvd., in 1980.

No plans for the site have been announced.

Albertsons still has two other north Spokane markets at 6520 N. Nevada and 9001 N. Indian Trail Rd.

A while back Bert Caldwell discussed in a column the concerns among regional power producers if California adopts or doesn’t adopt significant energy-generation measures.

We think this item, about a San Diego Albertson’s, is interesting and worth  reading, for a few reasons. One, we do have Albertsons in this area. We don’t see this happening soon in Eastern Washington, but since ReliON, based in Spokane, produces fuel cells, perhaps it’s not that far a reach.

Boise, Idaho-based grocery chain Albertsons is slated to open a new store in San Diego’s Clairemont community that will be one of the first in California to generate nearly 90 percent of its electricity from fuel cell technology. Using a 400-kilowatt fuel cell from UTC Power, a United Technologies Corp., the 55,000-sq.-ft. green Albertsons store will officially open on Sept. 1.

 

“When it comes to minimizing our environmental footprint, the Clairemont store is a tremendous achievement for us,” noted Rick Crandall, Albertsons’ director of environmental stewardship.

“With the assistance of UTC Power’s fuel cell, it’s our first store that significantly reduces its burden on the power grid.”