Supermarket, Grocery, & C-Store

Free Trial• Big Y Foods, Inc. announced Stephen Creed, VP of Distribution and Logistics, will be retiring and Eric Swensen will be appointed to the role.

• The Giant Company has named John MacDonald as its new VP of Marketing.

• K-VA-T Food Stores Inc. will open 3 new Food City stores in Alabama and Tennessee by early next year.

• The Save Mart Companies has partnered with Amazon.com Inc. to offer same-day two-hour grocery delivery from its Lucky California stores throughout the San Francisco, CA area.

• Meijer Inc. reported it plans to open a 75,000 sq. ft. store in Fishers, IN. The store will also have a gas station.

• United Natural Foods Inc. has extended its wholesale partnership with Whole Foods Market Inc. to serve as its primary distributor.

 

Retail

• At Home Group Inc. has appointed Brad Weston as CEO, effective June 3. Erik Ragatz has been named Chairman.

• Boot Barn Holdings, Inc. recently opened its 400th store location.

• The Carter Lumber Co. opened a new full-service lumberyard in LaGrange, KY.

• The Children’s Place Retail Stores Inc. announced its President and CEO, Jane Elfers, has left the company. Muhammad Umair has been appointed as President and Interim CEO.

• Do it Best Corp. appointed Jared Hufford as Director of Strategic Initiatives.

• Hanna Andersson Inc. has named Mike Frazzini as its new Chief Technology Officer. Grace Wong was also recently appointed as its new Chief Brand Officer.

• Lugbill Supply Center Inc. recently acquired Affiliated Lumber in Swanton, OH.

• Lululemon Athletica Inc. has agreed to acquire the operations and retail locations of its franchise partner in Mexico. The deal includes 15 stores in the country.

• Lululemon Athletica Inc. announced its Chief Product Officer, Sun Choe, will leave the company. Nikki Neuburger will become Chief Brand & Product Activation Officer.

• Ralph Lauren Corporation recently remodeled its store on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, IL. The 37,000 sq. ft. store is now the largest location for the retailer.

• Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc. is expanding its partnership with DoorDash to offer on-demand delivery from its locations across the country.

• Western Association of Food Chains has named Nancy Lebold as the new President and Chairman. Kevin Lovell was named as Treasurer, and Wendy Coldesina will take on the role of Corporate Secretary.

 

Restaurant

• BurgerFi has rebranded itself as ChickenFi to celebrate the launch of the company’s new chicken sandwich offering. The company has not said whether the change is permanent or temporary, although it appears to be a temporary marketing tactic.

• CEC Entertainment has named Scott Drake as CFO.

• Cracker Barrel is preparing to overhaul their stores and menus. The company will be introducing new items this summer and removing some items that underperformed. The company is also redesigning stores by changing the color palette and offering more comfortable seating. The company will also be testing a smaller format store that offers the same amount of seating as a traditional location.

• Pizza Hut has named Kalen Thornton as Global Chief Brand Officer and Melissa Friebe as Chief Marketing Officer U.S

• Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Existing locations are expected to continue operations, but the company still plans to trim locations.

• TopGolf has named Maryam Morse as Chief People Officer.

• Wendy’s has named Abigail Pringle as President U.S. and E.J. Wunsch as President International. The company is launching a $3 breakfast combo in an effort to curb lost traffic due to price increases.