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Katie Lee

franchise developmentNewsrestaurants

BRIX Holdings Finalizes Clean Juice Acquisition

by Katie Lee

Dallas — BRIX Holdings, LLC, a multi-brand franchising portfolio group whose restaurant brands include Friendly’s, Red Mango and Orange Leaf, has completed its formal acquisition of all assets of Clean Juice, the original USDA-certified organic juice bar franchise. Clean Juice franchise and field support will now be provided from the BRIX headquarters in Addison, Texas. A core group of Clean Juice employees will join BRIX in roles spanning field operations, supply chain and technology. “The entire BRIX organization is thrilled that our acquisition of Clean Juice is complete,” says Sherif …

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Newsretailers

Academy Sports + Outdoors Opens First Store in Ohio

by Katie Lee

Katy, Texas — Academy Sports + Outdoors, a leading full-line sporting goods and outdoor recreation retailer, has opened its first store in Ohio. Located in Zanesville, the approximately 54,000-square-foot store marks the third store Academy has opened in 2024. Academy plans to continue its expansion efforts with the goal of opening 15-17 stores in its fiscal 2024 year, and a total of 160 to 180 new stores over the next 5 years. “Academy Sports + Outdoors is excited to join the Zanesville community and provide customers with a destination that …

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Red Lobster to Sell Assets to Creditors in Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Filing

by Katie Lee

Orlando, Fla. — Red Lobster has voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida. The Orlando, Fla.-based seafood restaurant chain plans to sell its business to an entity formed and controlled by its existing lenders. Red Lobster, which was founded in 1968 and operates some 600 restaurants across North America, has received a $100 million debtor-in-possession financing commitment from its existing lenders to facilitate this plan. The company stated that it would use the financing and bankruptcy proceedings to drive …

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Newspeopleretailers

At Home Names Former Party City Chief as its New CEO

by Katie Lee

Dallas — At Home Group Inc. has named Brad Weston as chief executive officer, effective June 3. Weston brings more than three decades of experience in retail; most recently, he was chief executive officer of Party City Holdings Inc. Previously, Weston served in leadership roles for Petco, including as president and CEO from 2017-2018 and president and chief merchandising officer from 2015-2017 and executive vice president and chief merchandising officer from 2011-2015. “We are excited to welcome Brad, a proven leader with a distinguished track record of transforming and scaling …

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franchise developmentNewspeoplerestaurants

Sbarro Names New President, North America

by Katie Lee

Columbus, Ohio — Sbarro, a leading global pizza brand known for its Original New York Style Slices and Strombolis, has appointed Mario Bojorquez as its new president, North America. He joins Sbarro from Restaurant Brands International. “Mario is a talented restaurant executive with a proven track record of results and a solid understanding of franchising in our industry,” says David Karam, Sbarro CEO and chairman of the board.” He is a great cultural fit for Sbarro. His strong people focus and industry expertise will complement the experience and skills of …

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disaster recoveryfranchise developmentNewsproperty managementvendors

911 Restoration to Open in 10 New Territories by End of Q2

by Katie Lee

Los Angeles — 911 Restoration has experienced significant early 2024 growth, with new franchise locations set to open in 10 new territories by the end of the second quarter. After onboarding its new executive director of franchise development, Ken Sussex, the restoration brand has been signed new franchise agreements in California, Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas and Tennessee, and plans are in place for further expansion across the East Coast and Midwest.  “We are proud to see the impact our brand is making, and the interest we are …

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Newsretailers

Wawa Opens First Store in North Carolina; Plans 10 Stores in NC by Year End

by Katie Lee

Kill Devil Hills, N.C. — Wawa, Inc. has opened its first store in the state of North Carolina. Located in Kill Devil Hills, this is the first of nine Wawa stores slated to open in North Carolina before the end of summer and 10 by year’s end. “We are excited to fly into North Carolina and bring our unique combination of fresh food and beverage, convenience and service to this state for the very first time. This historic milestone kicks off our ongoing growth and expansion in North Carolina as …

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Newsrestaurants

Burger King® Parent Completes $1 Billion Acquisition of Carrols Restaurant Group

by Katie Lee

Toronto — Restaurant Brands International Inc., the Toronto-based parent company of Burger King, has completed its previously announced acquisition of Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc., the largest Burger King® franchisee in the United States, for approximately $1 billion in an all-cash transaction. The company will invest a further $500 million to accelerate the reimaging of more than 600 Carrols restaurants before refranchising the majority of the acquired portfolio to new or existing smaller franchise operators over the next 7 years. Carrols is one of the largest restaurant franchisees in North America. …

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managementNewspeopleproperty managementretailers

BH Properties Appoints Retail Expert to Managing Director, Retail Properties

by Katie Lee

Los Angeles — BH Properties, a vertically integrated, value-add real estate investment company, has named retail expert Greg Sullivan managing director of the company’s retail properties division. Sullivan comes to BH Properties from Brookfield Properties, where he was vice president of big box leasing/development with a primary focus on large format entertainment, big box, junior anchor, restaurant transactions and vacant anchor store re-development. For the past 6 months, Sullivan has been operating as a retail consultant to BH Properties, advising the firm on several mixed-use retail acquisitions, most notably the …

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Industry Voicesrestaurantsvendors

Going Into Labor

by Katie Lee

— By Clint Williams — Diving into what’s going on with the labor market and how to attract and retain good restaurant workers. According to the National Restaurant Association (NRA), over 80% of restaurants were hiring in 2023 and the same goes for 2024. That is, if they can find good, qualified workers — workers they can pay and workers who will stay. From servers on the front lines to cleaners in the back of house, the hiring landscape can be a tough, uphill climb. To cope with sub-septimal staffing …

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