Supermarket, Grocery, & C-Store
• Circle K Stores Inc. is partnering with Bitcoin Depot to produce a Bitcoin ATM network across the United States and Canada.
• The Kroger Co. has hired Lori Raya as President of its Mid-Atlantic Division, taking over for Paula Ginnett, who has been promoted to Group VP of Retail Operations. Keith Shoemaker was named as President of the Dallas division.
• QuikTrip Corp. announced it has opened its 900th store location.
• Save-A-Lot Holdings, Inc. announced Kenneth McGrath, CEO, is leaving the company.
• The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC announced it plans to have more than 50 electric vehicle charging stations at its store locations across the Northeast by the end of the year.
• United Dairy Farmers is working with car wash brand Carriage House to launch Carriage House Express Wash at 12 UDF locations with existing car washes across Northern Kentucky and the Greater Cincinnati area.
• Wegmans Food Markets Inc. announced it will open its first Manhattan location in the second half of 2023.
Retail
• Abercrombie & Fitch Co. announced that Samir Desai has been named Chief Digital and Technology Officer, a new role for the company.
• Amazon.com Inc. opened a new Amazon Fresh store in Washington, DC. It’s the company’s first with fully autonomous checkout.
• At Home Group Inc. reported it has been acquired by a private equity firm and is now a private company. The company opened three stores in July, in CA, MD, and NJ.
• Dollar General Corp. is combining its DG Market store format with its pOpshelf format. The retailer is opening two stores in TN, and 4 more are currently under construction in AL and SC. The company plans to have 25 Dollar General and pOpshelf combination stores, as well as up to an additional 50 pOpshelf freestanding locations in various markets by the end of fiscal year 2021.
• TechStyle Fashion Group is entering the resale market in collaboration with ThredUp Inc., both online and in-store.
• GameStop Holdings Corp. said it will change the name of its EB Games stores in Canada to the GameStop brand by the end of 2021.
• Macy’s Inc. announced that it has named Prabhakar Iyer VP, Treasury and Corporate Development.
• R.P. Lumber Co. Inc. announced it has acquired Malcom Lumber, with 2 locations in Illiniois.
• Rue21 said it plans to open 15 stores before the end of the year in FL, GA, MD, MA, MI, NY, OK, PA, TN, TX, and WI.
• Vitamin Shoppe Industries reported it is opening three franchise stores in the Texas. The stores are expected to open within nine months.
Restaurant
• Caribou Coffee is committing to only using cage-free eggs by 2025.
• Friendly’s has hired Roberto De Angelis as Chief Experience Officer.
• JuiceLand has hired Angela Shaw as Chief People Officer.
• Ledo Pizza has opened a new location in Chambersburg, PA.
• McDonald’s Corporation has promoted Manu Steijaert to the role of Global Chief Customer Officer. Steijaert is the first person to take the role and the company has created a customer experience team. The fast food chain has also replaced their BTS meal famous order with a meal inspired by hip-hop artist Saweetie.
• Mountain Mike’s Pizza is opening a new location in Clovis, CA.
• Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits has added chicken nuggets to their menu.
• Simply Southern Restaurant Group LLC has opened a new Chicken Salad Chick restaurant in LaGrange, GA.
• Slim Chickens has opened a new location in Bartlett, TN.
• Starbucks Corporation has partnered with Nestle to bring ready-to-drink beverages to Southeast Asia, Oceania, and Latin America.
• Taco Bell has expanded their rewards program and they are offering free tacos.
• The Cheesecake Factory is planning to launch a new rewards program sometime next year.
• The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill has hired Bob Andersen as Brand President.
• Twin Peaks Restaurant is opening a new restaurant in Cypress Creek, FL.
• Wingstop is contemplating raising menu prices to deal with inflated costs of chicken wings.
• YUM! Brands Inc. has moved their target of gender parity in leadership positions from 2030 to 2025.
