Supermarket, Grocery, & C-Store
• Energy North Group has acquired Airport Country Store & Deli.
• Festival Foods announced that Ken Wicker will join the company as Senior VP of Fresh Foods.
• Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores Inc. plans to open up to 50 locations and add more than 3,000 truck parking spots and 3,000 jobs in 2021.
• Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace has opened its seventh store on New York’s Long Island, its ninth location overall.
• Wakefern Food Corp. has announced it will be closing 62 ShopRite pharmacies in several states and selling the files to nearby CVS Health pharmacy locations.
Retail
• 84 Lumber Co. has opened its first-ever Andersen Window & Door Showroom in Rockville, MD.
• Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has appointed Holly May as its Chief Human Resources Officer.
• Ace Hardware Corp. announced that Jay Heubner, President and General Manager of Ace International will retire March 1, 2021. Effective April 5, David Goh will assume the role of President and General Manager of Ace International.
• Amazon.com Inc. has opened its eighth Amazon Fresh store, a 45,000 sq. ft. location in Schaumburg, IL.
• American Eagle Outfitters Inc. announced it plans to open about 50 Aerie stores by the end of this year, and an additional 100 to 200 stores in the following two years. The retailer is also looking to close potentially 200 to 250 American Eagle locations during the next two to three years.
• Bloomingdale’s announced it will open a new, much smaller sized format called “Bloomies”. The 22,000 sq. ft. store is expected to open in fall 2021in Fairfax, VA.
• Cole Haan has officially withdrawn its plans for an initial public offering.
• Do it Best Corp. has hired Ben Skoog to join the company as Director of Brand Integration.
• Francesca’s Holdings Corp. has won court approval to sell its remaining business out of bankruptcy to a group of buyers that plan to keep about half of its stores open.
• JCPenney Company, Inc. announced its Chief Human Resources Officer, Brynn Evanson, has resigned.
• Petsense LLC announced that Matthew Rubin has been named Senior VP and General Manager.
• US LBM Holdings, LLC has opened a new roofing and siding location in New Castle, DE, the company’s first location in the state.
• Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. has named Roz Brewer as CEO, effective March 15. She succeeds Stefano Pessina, who will transition to the role of Executive Chairman.
Restaurant
• Artichoke Basille’s Pizza has opened a new location in Phoenix, AZ.
• Boston Market has entered the chicken sandwich wars by offering a new Nashville hot crispy chicken sandwich.
• Chick-fil-A has faced steep competition from rival chicken sandwiches and the company has responded with a new grilled spicy chicken sandwich that is available for a limited time.
• Crave Hot Dogs & Barbecue will be opening a new location in Lake Wales, FL.
• Huey Magoo’s Restaurants LLC has plans to open new franchise locations in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.
• McDonald’s Corporation has brought back their spicy chicken McNugget flavor for a limited time.
• Penn Station Inc. has hired Ammy Harrison has VP of Strategy and Development.
• Pizza Hut has launched a new Detroit style pizza.
• Starbucks CFO Rosalind Brewer is leaving in February to become the CEO of Walgreens.
• Teriyaki Madness LLC has opened a new location in Johnstown, CO.
• Walk-On’s Enterprises will be opening a location in Tallahassee, FL.