Author

Katie Lee

Dallas — Black Sheep Coffee, an international coffee brand with a rapidly expanding U.S. presence, has secured a 20-store multi-unit development agreement across the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex. The deal marks a significant step in the brand’s Texas growth strategy and continued expansion across the United States. The agreement will bring 20 additional locations to the DFW region over the next 5 years, with planned sites across Richland Hills, Bedford, Plano, Garland, Rowlett, Mobile City, Sunnyvale, Richardson and Sachse. The expansion builds on Black Sheep Coffee’s established footprint in North …

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New York City — Saks Global Enterprises LLC, a leading luxury retail company, is underway on an initial phase of optimization across its Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus store footprint, which will include nine store closings. There are no changes to the Bergdorf Goodman operational footprint. “We are initiating a series of actions to reinforce Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman as the ultimate destinations for luxury with a seamless multi-channel shopping experience,” says Geoffroy van Raemdonck, chief executive officer of Saks Global. “By optimizing our operational …

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New York City — Gregorys Coffee, a culture-defining coffee brand born in New York City, has officially launched its franchise program. After nearly 20 years of perfecting the craft coffee experience and scaling to more than 50 cafés, Gregorys is expanding through franchising with a proven brand, a time-tested model, deep guest loyalty and infrastructure built for long term growth. Since opening its first café in Manhattan in 2006, Gregorys has spent two decades earning loyalty through a quality-first approach that touches every part of the guest experience — from …

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Richmond, Va. — CarMax, Inc. has appointed Keith Barr as president and chief executive officer, as well as a member of the board of directors, effective March 16, 2026. David McCreight, current interim president and CEO of CarMax, will transition to his prior duties as an independent director of the board. Tom Folliard will remain in his role as interim executive chair of the board until the company’s annual meeting in June 2026, after which he is expected to resume his prior duties as non-executive chair of the board. Barr …

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— Interview with Natalie Clarke — R&R: Where are you based and how long has the company been in business? Natalie Clarke: Headquarters is located in New Castle, Pennsylvania. We have been in business since 1956. R&R: What is your name and title, and how long have you been with the company? Clarke: Natalie Clarke, marketing manager, 1 year. R&R: What trades/services do you offer retailers and restaurants? Clarke: Berner manufactures high-performance air curtains for both front- and back-of-house applications. Our solutions support code compliance and cleanliness at service doors …

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Wichita, Kan. — Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers has appointed Todd Paladini as chief information officer (CIO), a newly created role and the first CIO position in the restaurant brand’s history. In this role, Paladini will lead the brand’s enterprise technology strategy and partner across the business to help accelerate scalable growth and enhance the guest and franchisee experience. Paladini brings more than two decades of international IT leadership experience, with a track record of building and modernizing technology capabilities for multi-unit, guest-focused brands. Over the course of his career, …

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Bellevue, Wash. — Eddie Bauer LLC, operator of Eddie Bauer stores in the United States and Canada and a licensee of the Eddie Bauer brand, has entered into a Restructuring Support Agreement (RSA) with its secured lenders and commenced voluntary Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. The RSA is designed to enable Eddie Bauer to move through the process as quickly and efficiently as possible. Through the RSA and the Chapter 11 proceedings, Eddie Bauer will conduct liquidation sales at its …

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Fort Worth, Texas — HTeaO, the nation’s leading iced tea franchise, has appointed Chris Phillips as chief financial officer. In this role, Phillips will oversee the company’s finance, accounting, information technology and strategic planning functions as HTeaO continues its rapid expansion across the U.S. Phillips brings more than two decades of experience leading finance and strategy for highly franchised, multi-brand restaurant organizations. His background includes senior leadership roles with some of the most recognizable names in the industry, including Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen and Darden Restaurants. “Chris brings the rare combination …

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Minneapolis — Target Corporation has made a series of executive leadership changes under new CEO Michael Fiddelke aimed at accelerating the company’s growth plans. “It’s the start of a new chapter for Target and we’re moving quickly to take action against our priorities that will drive growth within our business,” says Fiddelke. “These leadership changes align the right talent and expertise with key roles, and simplify our structure so we can advance our strategy with greater speed, clarity and accountability.” Effective Feb. 15, newly named executive vice presidents will oversee …

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Irvine, Calif. — Mountain Mike’s Pizza, a leading family-style pizza chain for nearly 50 years, closed out 2025 with record unit growth, expanded national reach and more. Capping off the year, Mountain Mike’s grew its leadership team with the appointment of Sumi Ghosh as president and COO, strengthening the brand’s operational foundation as it enters its next growth phase. In 2025, Mountain Mike’s Pizza opened 24 new restaurants nationwide, marking the most new restaurant openings in its history, entered six new markets and reached a brand-defining milestone with the opening …

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