Author

Katie Lee

construction and designNewsretailers

Ghirardelli Chocolate Company to Begin Renovations at its Flagship Locations in San Francisco

by Katie Lee

San Leandro, Calif. — Ghirardelli Chocolate Company plans to renovate its flagship location in San Francisco’s iconic Ghirardelli Square. The project is led by Bay Area-based design firm Eight Inc., with all three Ghirardelli spaces within Ghirardelli Square being updated in a three-phase project slated to be finished by 2024. At least two of the three spaces, along with a pop-up shop, will be open throughout the entire process. “We can’t wait to unveil the first refreshed Ghirardelli Square space later this spring. Our flagship locations in Ghirardelli Square are …

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construction and designfranchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream Plans First Store in Texas

by Katie Lee

Fort Worth, Texas — Chill-N Nitrogen Ice Cream (Chill-N), the made-to-order nitrogen ice cream pioneer, is planning the construction and buildout of its first-ever store in Texas. The new Fort Worth Chill-N is set to open in the next several months at 2473 South Hulen St. in the Stonegate Crossing shopping plaza just down from Trader Joe’s. The new store is owned and operated by local resident and entrepreneur Harold Gernsbacher. “We’re ice cream, yogurt, alternative milk and toppings loving locals that live and breathe Fort Worth,” says Gernsbacher. “I …

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construction and designNewsretailers

CAMP Expands its Retail Footprint to Massachusetts 

by Katie Lee

New York City — As part of its expansion plans and commitment to bringing a new kind of retail to young families nationwide, CAMP, The Family Experience Company, will open its newest location at Burlington Mall in Burlington, Mass. The retailer will bring its unique combination of play, product and programming, along with interactive-themed experiences that delight kids and adults alike. This will be CAMP’s eighth store and the first of many new brick-and-mortar locations set to open in 2022, including a flagship store in Los Angeles in early spring. Opening …

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franchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Slim Chickens Ends 2021 with 350 New Signed Agreements

by Katie Lee

Fayetteville, Ark. — Slim Chickens made brand history in 2021 by closing out the year with more signed development deals and openings than ever before. The past year, the brand celebrated a number of milestones including its 150th store opening, entered 65 new markets with development deals and had close to 40 openings. It also inked 350 signed agreements, bringing the total units in development to 750. On top of the rapid franchise growth, Slim Chickens also had a 25% positive comp store sales growth — in fact, the brand …

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franchise developmentNewsretailers

Batteries Plus Opens 22 Stores in 2021; Plans to Open 55 this Year

by Katie Lee

Hartland, Wis. — The nation’s largest and fastest-growing battery, light bulb, key fob and phone repair franchise, Batteries Plus, has solidified a record-breaking year in 2021. Significant fourth quarter growth caps off 12 months of success for the retail brand which brought a total of 88 signings through multi-unit agreements and organic growth with current franchisees. Twenty-two new stores opened during 2021. Included in the 88 new store agreements were many multi-unit signings, including a 10-unit signing for Nevada and Utah; another 10-unit deal in Texas and Louisiana; an 8-unit …

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franchise developmentNewspeoplerestaurants

Redberry Restaurants Names Chief Operating Officer

by Katie Lee

Toronto — Redberry Restaurants has promoted Christian Racine to the position of chief operation officer (COO), effective immediately. He will provide companywide leadership to the Operations, Marketing and Development teams, as well as provide his vision and guidance on Redberry’s strategic direction. “Christian is a passionate QSR veteran who is uniquely qualified to help Redberry achieve its vision to be Canada’s largest and fastest growing multi-unit QSR Franchisee,” says Ken Otto, CEO of Redberry Restaurants. “This announcement is a testament to Christian’s breadth of knowledge and commitment to excellence. We …

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lightingNewspeoplevendors

Hera Lighting Names New Regional Sales Manager

by Katie Lee

Norcross, Ga. — Hera Lighting is welcoming Arthur Rollmann as its new regional sales manager. He will cover the North Central region as well as other key accounts. Rollmann lived and worked most of his life in Mönchengladbach, Germany, before moving to Atlanta in 2016. He is fluent in English, German and Russian. “Combining his MBA with significant industrial sales experience, Arthur brings considerable talent to Hera Lighting and our customers. We are delighted to have him on our team,” says Brad Stewart, executive vice president of sales for Hera …

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Newsretailers

Big Lots Sets Long Term Growth Goals

by Katie Lee

Columbus, Ohio — Big Lots, Inc. has provided a long-range growth and margin outlook, including a sales goal of $8-$10 billion driven by approximately 500 net store openings, merchandise sales productivity initiatives and continued e-commerce growth; an operating margin goal of 6% to 8% driven by gross margin improvement and expense leverage; and a return on invested capital goal of 20% to 25%. “We are highly confident that Operation North Star has put us on track to create tremendous long term value for shareholders, and that we now have the …

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Newspeoplerestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Software/Payments Company SpotOn Appoints 3 New Executives

by Katie Lee

San Francisco — SpotOn, a leading software and payments provider, has added three new executives in the roles of chief financial officer, chief people officer and chief revenue officer. The appointments come on the heels of more than 100% year-over-year growth in 2021, two major acquisitions, $425 million in new funding at a valuation of $3.15 billion, and the addition of hundreds of new employees to support customer demand. The three appointments also follow a year of major new product introductions in the restaurant and retail industries. Lisa Banks joins …

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Newsrestaurantssoftware/technologyvendors

Presto Partners with Checkers & Rally’s to Roll Out Drive-Thru A.I. Voice Assistant

by Katie Lee

Redwood City, Calif. — Presto, a leader in the restaurant hospitality technology industry, has been selected by Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc., the operator of Checkers & Rally’s drive-thrus, as the exclusive provider of automated voice ordering for all its corporate-owned drive-thru restaurants. The announcement marks the largest and first of its kind rollout of an A.I.-based voice assistant solution in the hospitality industry. Designed to help restaurants maximize labor efficiency, Presto’s next generation solutions help improve order accuracy, increase upsells and provide a superior guest experience. The Presto systems are …

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