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Katie Lee

Newsretailers

Ace Hardware Opens More Than 100 Stores in 2023; Plans 70 More

by Katie Lee

Oak Brook, Ill. — Ace Hardware, the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world, has opened more than 100 new stores in 2023, and is planning to open more than 170 by the end of the year. Globally, Ace has opened more than 1,100 stores in the past 5 years. “With over 100 new stores already opened for the year, we remain enthusiastically bullish about the continued prospect for new store growth,” says John Venhuizen, president and CEO of Ace Hardware. “I applaud our local Ace owners for the pace …

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franchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Playa Bowls Opens 200th Location; Plans 33 More By Year End

by Katie Lee

Belmar, N.J. — Playa Bowls, a leading superfruit bowl franchise, has opened its 200th shop. This new opening marks Playa Bowls’ 71st franchise agreement this year, demonstrating the brand’s dedication to growth since first launching in Belmar, N.J., in 2014. The brand plans to open 33 additional shops before the end of the year. “Playa Bowls once began as a patio table outside of a pizza shop, and now, nearly a decade later, we’ve reached 200 locations across the nation,” says Abby Taylor, chief marketing officer of Playa Bowls. “With …

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Newspeopleretailers

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Names New Pottery Barn President

by Katie Lee

San Francisco — Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has promoted Monica Bhargava to president of the Pottery Barn brand. In her 23 years since joining the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. family of brands, Bhargava has taken on an increasingly broader leadership scope culminating in her recent position as Williams-Sonoma, Inc.’s chief design officer, where she led the Pottery Barn visual merchandising and photography teams while developing product in partnership with the brand’s in-house design teams. “Monica’s design leadership and product development expertise have been instrumental to the growth of our brands, including Pottery Barn,” says …

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Newsrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Checkers and Rally’s Rolls Out Hi Auto’s First-Ever Spanish Language Drive-Thru Voice AI Ordering

by Katie Lee

Dayton, Ohio — Hi Auto and Checkers and Rally’s Drive-in Restaurants have added Spanish drive-thru voice AI ordering, representing a milestone development both for the QSR industry and for North America’s more than 50 million Spanish and bilingual speakers. Already operational at more than 350 of the restaurant group’s locations, Hi Auto’s is the world’s most widely deployed drive-thru voice AI ordering technology. Following beta testing over the past 2 months at five of its drive-thrus, Checkers and Rally’s is ready to expand the Spanish drive-thru voice AI rollout to …

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Newsretailers

DICK’S Sporting Goods Opens 9 New ‘DICK’S House of Sport’ Stores

by Katie Lee

Pittsburgh, Pa. — DICK’S Sporting Goods has continued to expand the House of Sport brand as nine new locations celebrated their grand openings in July and August. These locations join the first three House of Sport stores in Victor, N.Y.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Minnetonka, Minn. DICK’S anticipates opening between 75 to 100 House of Sport stores by 2027. The new stores opened in the following communities: • Katy, Texas: The Shops at Park West • Baybrook, Texas: Baybrook Mall • Davenport, Iowa: Davenport Commons • Champaign, Ill.: Market Place Shopping …

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Newsrestaurants

Fogo de Chão to be Acquired by Bain Capital Private Equity from Rhône Capital

by Katie Lee

Dallas — Fogo de Chão, the internationally renowned restaurant brand from Brazil, has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Bain Capital Private Equity to accelerate its growth and expansion. Fogo will continue to operate under its current management team, led by CEO Barry McGowan. Funds affiliated with Rhône Capital (together with certain of their affiliates) have owned Fogo since taking the company private in 2018. Financial terms of the private purchase were not disclosed. Founded in Southern Brazil in 1979, Fogo elevates the centuries-old cooking technique of …

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Newsroofingvendors

Pegnato Roof Intelligence Network Named One of 100 Best Places to Work in L.A.

by Katie Lee

Marina Del Rey, Calif. — Pegnato Roof Intelligence Network (PRIN™) has been included in the Small Employer Category of the Los Angeles Business Journal 2023 list, Best Places to Work in Los Angeles. The program evaluated each nominated company’s benefits, policies, practices and demographics, and also relied heavily on employee surveys to measure their experience. “PRIN began as a family business, and we strive to make all of our employees feel like members of the Pegnato family,” says Alex Pegnato, president and COO of Pegnato. “We are delighted at this …

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Newsretailers

Aldi to Acquire Winn-Dixie, Harveys Supermarket from Southeastern Grocers

by Katie Lee

Batavia, Ill. and Jacksonville, Fla. — German discount grocer Aldi has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket as part of a larger divestiture of Jacksonville, Fla.-based parent company Southeastern Grocers to various entities. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The Southeast-focused acquisition includes approximately 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys locations across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. Aldi, which maintains its U.S. headquarters in Batavia, Ill., first established its presence in the Southeast in the mid-1990s and has since invested $2.5 billion in the …

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construction and designCover StoryFrom The Magazinerestaurants

Better Together

by Katie Lee

— By Kristen Hartman — Co-branding the future of QSR — dos and don’ts. The concept of co-branding has resurfaced again as a way for brands to maximize their product and capitalize on the variety of opportunities it allows. The idea is exactly as it sounds: multiple brands partner with each other under one roof to provide a wider variety of products that are complementary to one another. This creates excitement and interest among consumers while allowing the brands to see savings on rent and other costs, all while streamlining …

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Industry Voicesrestaurantsvendors

Protect Your Profits

by Katie Lee

— By George Lessmeister — 5 tips to protect profit by controlling cost. In this period of high inflation, restaurant owners may feel pressure to raise prices to keep up with soaring costs. But this approach can backfire if not done carefully, and customers may go elsewhere with their already-stretched dollars if restaurant prices go too high. Being smart with expenses, especially labor costs, can help restaurants successfully compete in this challenging climate. What Do the Numbers Say? The Consumer Price Index released in early January showed prices actually decreased …

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