Supermarket, Grocery, & C-Store
• Albertsons LLC has implemented a contactless temperature check and health screening solution for associates.
• The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC will hire more than 5,000 people across its stores, distribution centers and e-commerce operations.
• Vallarta Supermarkets has partnered with Instacart to offer same-day delivery.
• Walmart Stores Inc. announced that it has more than doubled its number of personal shoppers for fulfilling pickup and delivery orders.
Retail
• Aldo Group Inc. plans to close all of its Call It Spring store locations over the next few weeks, as it shifts toward a direct-to-consumer online strategy.
• Caleres announced it will close 133 Naturalizer stores in the United States and Canada by early 2021.
• Rite Aid Corporation is expanding the age range for its COVID-19 testing. The retailer said that its no-charge testing sites will offer testing for symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals 13 years old and older.
Restaurant
• Dickey’s Barbecue Pit has opened their first two franchised ghost kitchen locations in San Francisco, CA. The company is planning to open an additional six locations in the area next year.
• El Pollo Loco is planning two new store concepts for 2021 that are designed with COVID-19 in mind. One concept will not feature a dining room and the other will feature a smaller dining area with an expanded outdoor seating space.
• Fox Restaurant Concepts will be launching a takeout-only restaurant called Fly Bye in December. The company also plans to launch a takeout-only version of their Flower Child restaurant next year.
• Jimmy John’s Franchise LLC is testing a partnership with DoorDash and their Self-Delivery service. The service will allow Jimmy John’s to utilize the DoorDash marketplace while still maintaining their own fleet of delivery vehicles.
• la Madeleine Inc. is adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic by adding drive-thru lanes to their restaurants.
• Simply Southern Restaurant Group LLC has opened a remodeled restaurant in Hixson, TN. The new restaurant features a drive-thru and expanded patio seating.
