Supermarket, Grocery, & C-Store
• Cumberland Farms Inc. has opened its first Farmhouse Fresh To Go restaurant concept, which was inspired by a traditional European bakery-cafe. The store in Westborough, MA, offers freshly made sandwiches, bakery products and specialty coffee. The retailer plans to expand the concept by the end of the year to several locations across New England.
• Grocery Outlet Inc. expects to open between 30 and 32 stores this year.
• The Kroger Co. plans to launch a digital marketplace of third-party sellers through a partnership with e-commerce provider Mirakl this fall. The Kroger Ship direct-to-customer platform will extend its ship-to-home assortment beyond groceries to a range of other categories.
• PCC Natural Markets recently opened its 15th location in Bellevue, WA.
• Wawa Inc. is adding kid’s meals to the menu at all of its convenience stores.
• Yesway announced it will consolidate corporate offices, closing the Allsup office in New Mexico.
Retail
• 84 Lumber Co. has opened its latest truss plant in Mansfield, OH. The company also said that it is continuing its plans to open new stores in California, Idaho, and Michigan.
• Amazon.com Inc. will open a 600,000 sq. ft. fulfillment center and a delivery station in Temple Terrace, FL, in 2021. Amazon is also planning a new delivery station in Lutz, FL, in 2021.
• Amazon.com Inc. plans to open two new Amazon Go stores in the Washington, DC.
• Best Buy Co. Inc. announced Asheesh Saksena, President of Best Buy Health, is stepping down from his role.
• Brooks Brothers Group, Inc. has agreed to be acquired and has committed to keeping at least 125 Brooks Brothers stores open.
• Casper has entered into agreements with Sam’s Club, Ashley HomeStore, Denver Mattress, and Mathis Brothers in which the retailers will offer Casper mattresses.
• Costco Wholesale Corp. bought a former Barnes & Noble store in Washington for a future headquarters expansion.
• Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. is opening 11 new stores this month including four namesake locations and one combination Dick’s and Golf Galaxy store, five Dick’s Sporting Goods Warehouse Sale clearance outlets and one Overtime by Dick’s Sporting Goods locations.
• Dollar General Corp. will open three new DG Fresh cold storage facilities in Bowling Green, KY, Ardmore, OK, and West Sacramento, CA. Each is expected to create approximately 65 new jobs and support 1,500 stores. Dollar General is also opening a new traditional distribution center in Walton, KY, in January 2021.
• HD Supply has entered into an agreement to sell its Construction and Industrial “White Cap” business segment.
• Lowe’s Companies plans to open 50 cross dock delivery terminals, seven bulk distribution centers and four e-commerce fulfillment centers over the next 18 months.
• PVH Corp. announced that Julie Fuller, will assume the role of Chief Human Resources Officer on Jan. 1, 2021.
• Rite Aid Corporation has added Roxanne Schwans as Senior VP of Market Access and Pharmacy Purchasing, as well as Chris Bohrer, who will serve as Senior VP of Payer and Strategic Initiatives.
• Vitamin Shoppe Industries has appointed Muriel F. Gonzalez as Exec VP, Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer.
Restaurant
• Checkers Drive-In Restaurants Inc. is extending the education benefits offered to employees. The brand allows employees at corporate-owned stores to earn a high school diploma and obtain training certificates in multiple fields.
• Coolgreens has signed a franchise agreement to open 50 new restaurants in Texas. The new restaurants will be spread throughout Austin, San Antonio, and Houston with the first location expected to open by the end of the year.
• Fat Brands, Inc has agreed to purchase The Johnny Rockets Group Inc. for an estimated $25 million. The deal will likely be finalized in September.
• Hungry Howie’s Pizza & Subs Inc. has opened a new franchised location in Ann Arbor, MI.
• Lawry’s Restaurants Inc. has named Ryan O’Melveny Wilson CEO. Previous CEO Richard Roger Frank has transitioned to Executive Chairman.
• Miami Subs Grill Corp. is introducing a new chicken sandwich designed to directly compete with the offerings from competitors like KFC and Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits.
• Mountain Mike’s Pizza is opening a new location in Perris, CA.
• Open Table has named Debby Soo as CEO. Soo replaced former CEO Steve Hafner.
• Simply Southern Restaurant Group LLC is opening a new Chicken Salad Chick restaurant on August 25th in Gulf Shores, AL. The company has also promoted Jim Thompson to COO, Terry McKee to Chief Development Officer, and Tom Carr to Chief Marketing Officer. Additionally, Mary Lou Atkins has been named VP Human Resources and Carrie Evans VP Franchise Development.
• Slim Chickens is opening a new location in Fort Hood, TX and a new location in Troy, MO.
• Twin Restaurant Holding LLC is launching a franchise incentive plan that will waive fees for the first year a new restaurant is open. Twin Peaks is planning for a rapid expansion in 2021.
Image Source: Phillip Pessar via flickr
