— By Doug Engel — Protecting guests from COVID-19 in restaurants and retail stores without breaking the bank. Restaurants and retail stores have been hit hard by plummeting business and consumers shifting to buy goods online. Ensuring safe physical spaces for dining and shopping is not just important, it’s essential to the recovery of these important sectors of the economy. What’s the best way to protect the health of customers and staff while being sensitive to the current financial challenges in these industries? Like the changing guidance associated with …
New York City — Authentic Brands Group (ABG), a global brand development, marketing and entertainment company, and AR Holdings, a leading Latin American-based brand and retail operator, have partnered to grow Forever 21 across the territory. AR Holdings will drive Forever 21 across all channels in the region including its e-commerce, wholesale and 26 retail locations in Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama and Peru. “Over the last 8 years, Forever 21 has established a strong foothold in Latin America and we are excited to …
Bloomington, Ind. — Curry Up Now, an award-winning Indian fast-casual concept, has broken ground on its first Indiana location, which is slated to open in early spring 2021 in Bloomington near Indiana University. This expansion is part of a multi-unit franchise deal for the entire state of Indiana, with plans to grow Curry Up Now in the greater Indianapolis area and expand across the state to additional college towns such as West Lafayette and South Bend, and into suburbs like Fishers and Carmel. “We were attracted to Bloomington from the …
Union, N.J. — Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. has appointed Mary-Farrell Tarbox and Ann-Marie Clendenin as regional vice presidents (RVP) for the Central and East regions, respectively, effective October 26, 2020. Both will report directly to Gregg Melnick, executive vice president and chief stores officer. Tarbox will be responsible for over 350 of Bed Bath & Beyond’s retail stores across 22 states, while Clendenin will oversee another approximately 200 stores across 12 states. Tarbox and Clendenin will work with Melnick and his team to execute a cultural shift in the …
San Diego — QDOBA Mexican Eats®, the largest franchise opportunity in the fast-casual Mexican segment, has introduced new restaurant formats that set the stage for continued growth. QDOBA’s new concepts feature buildouts including mobile-order drive-thrus, walk-up windows, mobile-order pickup lockers, dedicated curbside pickup areas, ghost kitchens and concepts with updated outdoor seating. The new formats come on the heels of a major multi-unit franchise development strategy announced last month that is set to grow the brand to 2,000 units. “Today’s customer wants a frictionless, safe experience and we’re evolving to …
Plano, Texas — J.C. Penney has drafted and filed an asset purchase agreement (APA), effectively moving the Plano, Texas-based retailer one step closer to concluding negotiations for its acquisition by Brookfield Asset Management and Simon Property Group, a $1.75 billion deal that was announced in September. J.C. Penney CEO Jill Soltau described this filing as “another important milestone in our restructuring plan” that should help the company shed its Chapter 11 bankruptcy status in time for the holiday shopping season. A hearing to seek court approval for the transaction is …
Nashville, Tenn. — Sonic Automotive, Inc., a Fortune 500 Company and one of the nation’s largest automotive retailers, has opened its newest EchoPark specialty pre-owned vehicle store in Nashville, Tenn. As Sonic Automotive continues to rapidly expand its EchoPark network, its first Tennessee location will allow car buyers in the region to shop an assortment of high-quality, 1- to 4-year-old pre-owned vehicles priced 20% to 40% below new car pricing. This new EchoPark location, located just north of downtown Nashville, was formerly a Sonic Automotive franchised dealership that was recently …
Nashville, Tenn. — Nashville, Tenn.-based Back Yard Burgers opened its new prototype in the greater Charlotte, N.C., area in September and plans to expand with the updated building design. The new interior design brings the outdoor backyard feel indoors with pergolas and an open kitchen that gives guests a better view of their sandwiches being cooked over the open flame with all of the sights, sounds and aromas. More modern exteriors featuring a mix of brick, wood and metal showcase new signage and the new Back Yard Burgers flame logo. …
Paris — As part of its “Better Places 2030” strategy to reduce carbon emissions 50% by the year 2030, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) now generates clean, renewable energy at seven of its Westfield shopping centers in the U.S. Westfield Valley Fair in Silicon Valley, Calif.; Westfield UTC in San Diego; and Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus, N.J., are now among the country’s most environmentally conscious retail destinations. The shopping centers’ parent company, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW), has completed installation of, and started generating power from, new solar panel arrays at the centers — …
Sugar Land, Texas — A development team by Houston-based Lionstone Investments will renovate Sugar Land Town Square, a 1.4 million-square-foot mixed-use destination located on the southwestern outskirts of Houston. Lionstone is partnering with Dallas-based creative real estate firm Rebees and Planned Community Developers on the project, which will upgrade landscaping and outdoor common areas to allow for social distancing and more public seating as part of Phase I. In addition, the team will add new signage and tenant storefronts and revamp the tenant roster to include local entrepreneurs with original …