Author

Katie Lee

franchise developmentNewspeoplerestaurants

Vicky Bakery Appoints New CEO; Continues Franchise Growth

by Katie Lee

Miami — Vicky Bakery, South Florida’s original family-owned Cuban bakery since 1972, has named Mauricio Romero as its new chief executive officer. This announcement comes as Vicky Bakery is experiencing record-setting growth, continuous double-digit revenue gains, the opening of multiple new locations, and new strategic investments. Former CEO Alex Santiago will remain dedicated to his leadership role on Vicky Bakery’s board of directors. Romero comes to Vicky Bakery from his nearly 40-year career in the restaurant franchise industry where he has served in a variety of executive roles. Most recently, …

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franchise developmentNewsretailers

MINISO Opens Global Flagship Store in Times Square, New York

by Katie Lee

New York City — Lifestyle retailer MINISO officially opened its new global flagship store in New York’s Times Square on May 19, 2023. The opening of the new flagship comes during the brand’s 10th anniversary year, and shortly after the announcement of a new global expansion strategy. With over 70 stores in the U.S., the American market has emerged as MINISO’s top-performing overseas market for two consecutive quarters. Located on the first floor of 5 Times Square, the new flagship has a bright and clean look, with the eye being …

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franchise developmentNewspeoplerestaurants

TGI Fridays CEO to Step Down

by Katie Lee

Dallas — Ray Blanchette, chief executive officer of TGI Fridays, is stepping down. Rohit Manocha, chairman of the board and co-founder of TriArtisan Capital Advisors, will be assuming Blanchette’s responsibilities in the interim. The TGI Fridays executive team will report directly to Manocha. Blanchette led TGI Fridays for the past 5 years, managing the company through a successful turnaround that included both national and global growth as well as through the turbulent impacts around the COVID-19 pandemic. TriArtisan is the lead investor in TGI Fridays with extensive holdings in the …

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construction and designNewsretailers

Spencer’s & Spirit Halloween to Significantly Expand Corporate HQ in New Jersey

by Katie Lee

Egg Harbor Township, N.J. — Spencer’s & Spirit Halloween is expanding its corporate headquarters in Egg Harbor Township, N.J. The project will add 81,000 square feet of office space and amenities to the company’s current campus, bringing the total footprint to 24 acres. The expansion project is expected to be completed by spring 2024. The new office area will provide the company with space to accommodate its growing workforce. It will also feature a variety of new amenities for associates including a state-of-the-art fitness center, a 1-mile outdoor walking path, …

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franchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Island Fin Poké Co. Debuts in Nashville, Tenn.

by Katie Lee

Nashville, Tenn. — On May 22, Island Fin Poké Co. will open its 26th location in the U.S. and second location in Tennessee, in Nashville. Offering Hawaiian-style poké bowls, this fast-casual restaurant is set to become a go-to spot for locals and visitors alike. “This is going to be a place where the community can go to get a well-balanced, convenient, healthy and fulfilling meal any day of the week,” says franchisee Tammy Fitzpatrick. “We’re excited to introduce this unique concept to Nashville. Island Fin offers the community a healthy alternative …

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Newsretailerssupply chainvendors

C-Store Chain Casey’s Selects RELEX to Optimize Space Plans and Supply Chain

by Katie Lee

Atlanta — Casey’s General Stores, Inc., a leading convenience store chain in the United States, will partner with RELEX Solutions to implement a unified space planning and supply chain solution. RELEX will service Casey’s 2,400+ stores and support the company’s growth plans. RELEX’s space planning and supply chain solutions will help reduce the volume of manual work and improve order accuracy on a store-by-store basis. For example, RELEX will enable Casey’s space planning team to utilize logic in a framework of business rules, which the solution will use to help …

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Newspeopleretailers

Albertsons Companies Names EVP and General Counsel

by Katie Lee

Boise, Idaho — Albertsons Companies, Inc. has hired Tom Moriarty as its new executive vice president and general counsel, effective June 5, 2023. He joins Albertsons from CVS Health and will report to CEO Vivek Sankaran. Moriarty succeeds Juliette Pryor, who left Albertsons Cos. in April to pursue another career opportunity. Moriarty brings more than 30 years of executive leadership experience to Albertsons Cos., including senior positions across legal, corporate strategy, policy and operations. Most recently, he spent more than 10 years with CVS Health, serving in roles of increasing …

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Industry Voicessecurity/loss preventionsoftware/technologyvendors

Threat Detection + Rapid Response

by Katie Lee

— By Dave Fraser —   Protecting facilities with AI gun detection technology.     The grim reality in today’s day and age is that active shooting incidents are on the rise. In fact, according to the FBI, active shooter incidents jumped more than 50% in 2021. And as we already saw with multiple mass shooting events in 2022, and 2023, the problem is not going away. This alarming trend is placing increased pressure on facilities to be ready in the event that a mass shooter walks through their doors. …

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Newspeoplerestaurants

FAT Brands Strengthens Leadership Team, Including 2 New Brand Presidents

by Katie Lee

Los Angeles — FAT (Fresh. Authentic. Tasty.) Brands Inc. has elevated Jenn Johnston to the role of chief marketing officer. Since the acquisition of Global Franchise Group in July 2021, Johnston has held the role of president of the quick-service division at FAT Brands, overseeing brands including Round Table Pizza, Great American Cookies, Marble Slab Creamery and Pretzelmaker. With the promotion, Allison Lauenstein and David Pear will assume brand president roles. Lauenstein will serve as brand president of Great American Cookies, Marble Slab Creamery and Pretzelmaker. She brings over a …

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Newspeopleretailers

AutoNation Hires Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

by Katie Lee

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — Leading automotive retailer AutoNation, Inc. has hired Thomas Szlosek as its new executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), effective in early August 2023. Szlosek will report to CEO Mike Manley and serve as a member of the senior leadership team, overseeing accounting, treasury, tax, audit, business analysis and planning, investor relations, finance operations, risk management and real estate services. “A proven CFO who has helped drive change and innovation, Tom has a great track record not only for being instrumental in helping to drive …

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