Supermarket, Grocery, & C-Store

Free Trial• Aldi Inc. has recently opened 3 new stores, two in MO and one in MS. The grocery retailer will open a new store in Danvers, MA, later this month.

• Lowes Foods Inc. reported it plans to open five new stores in NC, and SC, over the next several years.

• RaceTrac Petroleum Inc. announced it is planning to open its first locations in OH and SC. The retailer has plans for three new convenience stores in these states.

• TravelCenters of America Inc. plans to open 20 new franchised locations in 2023.

• Tripifoods Inc. announced its Senior VP, Joseph Tripi, has passed away.

• Whole Foods Market Inc. will open its first-ever location in the state of MT on Feb. 1. The new store will be located in Bozeman, MT.

 

Retail

• Conn’s HomePlus has opened a new 30,000 sq. ft. store in Jacksonville, FL.

• Do it Best Corp. has hired Mike Melchi as Director of Field Sales. Eric Knox has been promoted to Director of Business Development. Chris Beach has been promoted to Director of National Accounts and Acquisitions. Christian Parra has been promoted to Director of International Sales, and Rob Schmiedel has been promoted to Director of Sales Operations.

• Lululemon Athletica Inc. announced it has named Elizabeth Binder as its new Chief Merchandising Officer.

• The Neiman Marcus Group has hired Nabil Aliffi to join the company in the newly created role as Chief Brand Officer. In addition, Stefanie Tsen Ward has been promoted to Chief Retail Officer.

• Party City Holdco Inc. reported it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

• Tractor Supply Company has opened a new 900,000 sq. ft. distribution center in Navarre, OH.

• Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc. reported that Michelle Crossan-Matos has joined the retailer as its Chief Marketing Officer.

• Urban Outfitters Inc. plans to open a new 604,000 sq. ft. fulfillment center in Raymore, MO.

• Zappos.com announced a partnership with Whole Foods Market Inc. to allow consumers to make returns at its store locations.

 

Restaurant

• Chili’s has named Jesse Johnson as VP of Marketing. The company has also closed their delivery-only test location after two months. The company is still committed to improving digital sales, but they will focus on existing formats instead.

• Clean Eatz has named Gary Sachs as CFO.

• Clean Juice has moved the in-house bottling of their juices to a centralized facility in California in an effort to increase efficiency.

• In-N-Out Burger is building a new corporate office in Tennessee and the company plans to open restaurants in Nashville by 2026. This will be the company’s first foray into the southeast.

• Jeremiah’s Italian Ice has opened a new location in Winter Garden, FL.

• Pokeworks has hired Abe van Beek as Director of Culinary and Michele LaMont as Director of Marketing.

• Starbucks is expanding their partnership with DoorDash and plans to make their menu available in all 50 states by the end of March.

• Steak and Ale will be opening their first new location later this year since closing all their restaurants in 2008. The new location is part of a 15-unit development agreement.

• Taco John’s has opened a new location in Milwaukee, WI. The company plans to open two more locations in the area starting next month.

• The Flame Broiler has named Christian Lee as COO and Daniel Lee as CMO and CTO.

• Twin Peaks is opening a new location in Chattanooga, TN on Feb 20th.