New York City — CAMP, the East Coast family favorite that has reimagined the retail experience, is opening its first flagship store in Los Angeles as part of its national expansion. Part toy store, part activity destination, CAMP helps families answer the question, “What should we do today?” The retailer is bringing its unique combination of play, product and programming to L.A. families; this new Century City location will be CAMP’s ninth store and the first of many on the West Coast. Opening on April 23rd, the 7,000-square-foot location will …
Katie Lee
Houston — Big Chicken, the fast-casual chicken restaurant franchise founded by basketball Hall of Famer and entrepreneur Shaquille O’Neal, plans to enter the four largest Texas markets. Through a multi-unit development agreement, a Texas-based team is bringing Big Chicken to Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin — four of the top 11 markets by population in the United States. “Big Chicken is exactly the kind of brand that succeeds in Texas: pioneering and bold, yet rooted in delicious tradition. Our restaurant industry’s rich diversity is our greatest strength, and we’re …
— By Tom Dawson — How to save on roof-related costs during a remodel. Remodeling a building tends to be costly, but there is a chance businesses can bypass a major — and often assumed — “necessary” cost. The purpose of this article is to educate and share some good news: businesses may be able to avoid the need for a new roof during an upcoming remodel. Often when a building is undergoing a major remodel, the general contractor’s default position is that the roof must always be replaced. …
— By Nancy Troyano — Entomologists provide their 2022 pest prognosis for retail and restaurant managers. As the world continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the business and operational world has shifted. Labor and supply shortages continue to impact everything from grocery stores to restaurants and distribution centers. One thing that is not in short supply for many of these commercial spaces: pests. Pest experts across the country expect to see an increase in pest activity in 2022. With minimal products stocking the shelves and fewer …
Dallas and Coppell, Texas — Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Inc. has agreed to acquire family entertainment concept Main Event for $835 million in an all-cash transaction. The seller is a joint venture between Ardent Leisure Group Limited and Red Bird Capital Partners, and the deal is expected to close later this year. Chris Morris, current CEO of Main Event, will serve as CEO of the combined entity upon closing. The move ends the search for a new Dave & Buster’s CEO, which has been ongoing for approximately 7 months following …
San Francisco — More than 5,000 franchise and company-owned Taco Bell restaurants are now using Zenput’s operations execution platform to support compliance against food safety protocols and brand standards. Embracing the move away from pen and paper tracking and towards the digitization of a range of procedures and food safety protocols, the corporate team joined several of its franchisees in rolling out Zenput to its 480 company-owned restaurants. Restaurant general managers and Taco Bell team members use Zenput on tablets to complete tasks throughout the day, including daily food safety …
Glasgow, UK — German Doner Kebab has appointed Mark Treptow as its new franchise director for the USA and Canada as the brand builds on its ambitious international growth plans. He joins the growing restaurant from Fransmart. Treptow is the former senior director of development at Fransmart, where he was responsible for the franchise expansion of high-performing brands such as Five Guys Burgers, Qdoba, The Halal Guys and Freshii. Treptow has over 25 years of sales experience in franchise development and financial services and has been instrumental in the management …
Bergdorf Goodman Temporarily Closes 57th Street Store to Install Decarbonization Technology
New York City — On the heels of launching its first-ever Environmental, Social, Governance report, “Our Journey to Revolutionize Impact,” the Neiman Marcus Group is advancing its sustainability journey even further: installing two 500-ton water-cooled Trane® chillers at its iconic Bergdorf Goodman’s Women’s Store, located in the heart of New York City’s famed retail district. Implemented in partnership with Trane® by Trane Technologies, a global climate innovator, this environmentally-friendly makeover of the historic, 94-year-old building utilizes innovative, energy-efficient, decarbonizing technology — enabling the retailer’s elimination of natural gas use and electrification, transition to …
Orlando, Fla. — Red Lobster® CEO Kelli Valade plans to resign from her position on April 15. Red Lobster will immediately begin a search for a successor. Valade joined Red Lobster in August 2021. Under her leadership, she has created a new strategic framework and go-forward plan with a focus on the core guest and the need for value, as well as built out the executive team, adding the newly-created roles of chief marketing officer and chief information officer and recruiting a new chief financial officer. “Red Lobster is a …
Modesto, Calif. — The Save Mart Companies and Kingswood Capital Management, LP have named Shane Sampson as executive chairman of the California-based, regional grocery retailer. Sampson is a fourth-generation grocer who brings nearly four decades of experience to The Save Mart Companies in building brands, implementing innovative marketing and merchandising programs, and leading strategic operations. Most recently, he served as Albertsons Companies’ chief marketing and merchandising officer. He was instrumental in driving Albertsons’ merchandising strategy during a period of monumental growth during which he oversaw significant development and innovation of …