Supermarket, Grocery, & C-Store
• Grocery Outlet Inc. announced that R.J. Sheedy will become President and CEO on Jan. 1st. Current CEO Eric Lindberg will transition to Chairman.
• HAC Inc. reported David Criscione has joined the company as President and CEO.
• Refuel Operating Company, LLC will acquire the assets of Eagles Enterprise LLC, a chain with 13 locations in North Carolina.
• SpartanNash Company unveiled plans to consolidate retail banners. The company will create a three-tier retail structure under the Family Fare banner, the Martin’s Super Markets and D&W Fresh Market banners, and the Supermercado Nuestra Familia banner.
• Whole Foods Market Inc. announced it will open its first store in Montana. A 45,000 sq. ft. location will open in the city of Bozeman.
Retail
• Beacon Roofing Supply Inc. has opened new branches in Indianapolis, IN, and Burnsville, MN.
• Big Lots Stores Inc. has named Margarita Giannantonio as Chief Merchandising Officer. The company also appointed John Alpaughas as its new Chief Marketing Officer.
• David’s Bridal has unveiled a new in-store customer experience with an emphasis on personalization. The retailer will feature the new format in approximately 30 stores in 2023, including 12 new locations.
• Designer Brands Inc. is teaming up with Cobblers Direct to offer shoe repair services in all of its stores across the country.
• Do it Best Corp. announced the promotion of Jenna Myers to DMM. The company also announced Cason Amornarthakij has been hired as Category Manager; David Badyna has been hired as Senior Systems Administrator; Natalia Camacho Quiros has been hired as Project Manager/Scrum Master; Roy Resendez has been hired as International Product Development Manager; and Sophia Tichenor has been hired as IT Business Analyst.
• General Nutrition Centers, Inc. reported it has promoted Rachel Jones to Senior VP, Chief Product Innovation and Science Officer.
• Intermix announced Karen Katz, who has been Interim CEO, has decided to step down. James Rushing will become Interim CEO, effective immediately, and will maintain his current role as Interim CFO.
• Kohl’s Corporation reported that Michelle Gass is stepping down as CEO effective December 2.
• Levi Strauss & Co. announced Michelle Gass will be appointed as its new President. She will succeed CEO Chip Bergh.
• LL Flooring Holdings, Inc. recently opened three new stores in Abilene, TX; Mundelein, IL; and Prescott Valley, AZ, bringing its total to 440 locations.
• Lowe’s Companies Inc. announced that it will sell the Canadian arm of its business to Sycamore Partners.
• Nordstrom Inc. will open new Nordstrom Rack locations in Allen, TX, San Luis Obispo, CA, and Overland, KS, in fall 2023. The retailer will also open a new Nordstrom Rack store in Kennesaw, GA, in spring 2024, and a new Nordstrom Rack will open in Las Vegas, NV.
• Party City Holdco Inc. said it will reduce its corporate workforce by 19% through both job cuts and by not filling open positions.
• Sephora USA Inc. has partnered with DoorDash to offer delivery from over 500 Sephora stores across the U.S. and Canada.
• Tuesday Morning Corp. named Andrew T. Berger as CEO. He succeeds Fred Hand. The company also announced Marc Katz and Paul Metcalf have recently left the company. Bill Baumann, CIO & Chief Marketing Officer succeeds Katz as COO and will also assume responsibilities as Chief Merchant in the interim.
• Westlake Ace Hardware has announced plans to acquire Trails West Ace Hardware in Gardner, KS.
Restaurant
• Artichoke Basille’s Pizza will be opening a new location on November 19th in Phoenix, AZ.
• Donatos Pizza has opened a new location in Strongsville, OH.
• JINYA has opened a new location in Vancouver, BC.
• Slim Chickens has opened a new location in Houston, TX.
• Sweetgreen is planning to test two fully automated restaurants next year. If the restaurants are successful, Sweetgreen will consider rolling out the technology systemwide as soon as 2024.
• Wendy’s will debut a peppermint Frosty on November 15th. The limited time item will replace vanilla for the time being like the successful strawberry flavor did earlier this year.