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Katie Lee

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Bob’s Stores to Close All 21 Remaining Locations After 70 Years in Business

by Katie Lee

Meriden, Conn. — Bob’s Stores is closing all locations and liquidating its inventory as part of the Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring petition filed on June 18. The Meriden, Conn.-based clothing retailer, which is a subsidiary of GoDigital Media Group, was unable to secure the financing needed to maintain operations. Bob’s began going-out-of-business sales in stores on June 28 with discounts of 30% to 70% off merchandise. Hilco Merchant Resources, in a joint venture with Gordon Brothers, is managing the liquidation event that includes all 21 remaining stores throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, …

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construction and designfranchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Jack in the Box to Return to Chicago for the First Time in 40 Years

by Katie Lee

San Diego — Jack in the Box Inc., a leading franchisor in the quick-service restaurant industry, is making a highly anticipated return to the Chicagoland market — for the first time in more than 40 years. The development plan includes eight company-operated units and, as part of the brand’s strategic market plan, Jack in the Box has identified more than 125 potential trade area opportunities for future corporate and franchise development in the area. The first wave of Jack in the Box locations is slated to open throughout 2025, bringing …

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Newspeopleretailers

Authentic Appoints SVP to Drive Brand Growth Across Japan

by Katie Lee

New York City — Authentic Brands Group, a global brand development, entertainment and marketing platform, has appointed Jeff Daggett as senior vice president – head of Japan. With more than three decades of industry experience, Daggett will play an integral role in strengthening Authentic’s foothold presence and driving brand growth within the Japanese market. “Jeff’s extensive industry experience and proven track record make him an ideal leader to drive Authentic’s expansion across Japan,” says Wesley Chu, regional president APAC, Authentic. “We are excited to welcome his strategic vision and comprehensive …

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NewspeopleProduct Spotlightrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Chargebee Appoints President of Go-to-Market & SVP, Global Sales

by Katie Lee

San Francisco — Chargebee, a leading subscription and revenue growth management platform, has named Brian Clark as president of go-to-market and Andrew Sherwood as senior vice president of global sales. Clark and Sherwood will accelerate Chargebee’s go-to-market focus on helping companies capture the opportunity in the evolving market with Chargebee’s uniquely flexible and robust revenue growth management platform. Clark brings 20+ years of experience in executive leadership roles at industry-defining companies. Most recently, he served as chief revenue officer (CRO) at Vista-backed Work Management Software company Wrike. Sherwood will lead …

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franchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Toastique to Debut in North Carolina on July 20

by Katie Lee

Charlotte, N.C. — Toastique, the vibrant, artisan toast and juice café, will open its first storefront in the state of North Carolina on July 20, 2024. Located in the popular South End neighborhood of Charlotte, N.C., the new location will be one of the few offering plant-based vegan soft serve. Known for its gourmet toast creations, smoothie bowls, nutrient-rich cold-pressed juices, espresso and coffee, and other convenient grab-and-go options, the Charlotte location will be operated by franchisees and husband-and-wife duo, Chris and Angela Bjorson. This is the first of 3 …

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NewsProduct Spotlightretailerssoftware/technologyvendors

Target to Roll Out GenAI Technology to its Store Team Members Chainwide

by Katie Lee

Minneapolis — Target Corporation plans to roll out a new generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tool to team members at all of its nearly 2,000 stores by August, becoming the first major retailer to share that it is bringing this technology to its store team members across the U.S. The tool, called Store Companion, is a GenAI-powered chatbot designed by Target that can answer on-the-job process questions, coach new team members, support store operations management and more. “We know technology will continue to play an outsized role in the future of …

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Industry Voiceskitchen equipmentrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Sustainable Equipment Ecosystem

by Katie Lee

— By Jay Fiske — IoT & S3: How connected equipment improves restaurant safety, service and sustainability. Every restaurant facility manager is acutely aware of how critical their back-of-house equipment (cooking, refrigeration, HVAC, etc.) is as the lifeline of their operations. When these machines go down, or an issue arises, the result is often costly health or safety concerns that can force facility closures, negatively impact customer satisfaction, and harm brand perception. In addition, back-of-house equipment also drives the bulk of the very heavy energy use in restaurants — driving …

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Industry Voicesrestaurantssoftware/technology

Automatic Value

by Katie Lee

— By Les Tomlin — How automated vending machines are churning out QSR solutions. Quick-service restaurants (QSRs) are embracing artificial intelligence platforms to boost productivity, increase security and make operations more user-friendly. On paper, things should be getting easier for restaurant owners; however, in the face of rampant labor shortages, skyrocketing minimum wage laws and exorbitant real estate costs, restaurant owners and managers have an uphill battle to face in getting a new business off the ground. Since the nineteenth century, vending machines have provided an autonomous alternative to full-service …

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ADA complianceconstruction and designIndustry Voicesremodelsrestaurants

Beneficial Buildouts

by Katie Lee

— By David Gabbai — How restaurant tenants can be built to save. Due to challenges like high interest rates and construction costs, the price of owning, building, remodeling and leasing restaurant space has gone through the roof. It can be a difficult time to own and maintain a restaurant business and restaurant space. However, forward-thinking restaurant tenants and retail landlords are finding creative ways to make things work. We are seeing these imaginative solutions play out in lease terms and structures, which can be done in a way that …

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construction and designfranchise developmentNewsremodelsrestaurants

Dunkin’ Celebrates July 4th with 4,000th NextGen Location

by Katie Lee

Canton, Mass. — This Fourth of July, Dunkin’ is celebrating its 4,000th NextGen location now open in Jacksonville, Fla., operated by franchisee Rima & Raj, LLC. This marks a major milestone for the brand as Dunkin’ continues to open and remodel existing locations as innovative NextGen restaurants, offering guests a more modern design with premium beverages, creating an elevated in-restaurant and drive-thru experience. “NextGen is propelling the brand forward and continuing to exceed growth targets,” says Scott Murphy, chief brand officer of Inspire Brands, which acquired Dunkin’ in late 2020. …

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