Minneapolis — Target Corporation has named Maurice Cooper senior vice president of marketing. He will oversee Target’s marketing, creating plans that are guest-centric, culturally relevant and inclusive to fuel consumer affinity for Target’s brand and grow its business. He will lead the strategy and execution of brand, category and promotions marketing across paid, owned and shared media, while also overseeing key campaigns such as Holiday. Cooper joins the company Sept. 14 and will report to Rick Gomez, Target’s executive vice president and chief marketing, digital and strategy officer. “Maurice has …
Lexington, Ky. — Sales at franchised A&W restaurants soared 12% in July, the third straight month of double-digit same-store sales growth. July’s success follows a 15% jump in May and 16% in June. In addition to a rebound in traffic, overall system sales are being bolstered by the strong openings of five restaurants this year. Since franchisees acquired the company from YUM! Brands in 2011, average unit sales have increased by 38%. “Several factors explain why A&W is doing so well,” says CEO Kevin Bazner. “First is the brand itself. …
Union, N.J. — Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. has appointed Wade E. Haddad as senior vice president (SVP), real estate and construction, effective September 2. He joins with over 25 years of real estate experience and will lead the company’s recently announced store optimization strategy, a key part of its previously disclosed comprehensive restructuring plan. In this new role Haddad will be a central part of the team overseeing the comprehensive modernization of the company’s operations, unlocking value from the property portfolio while establishing the optimal network to support new omnichannel …
Milford, Ohio — Penn Station East Coast Subs is updating its 35-year-old brand with the rollout of PS 2020, which includes a restaurant redesign and certain menu changes and additions. The first restaurants with the new menu and design opened late last year, and all restaurants in the system now have the new menu. “We spent the better part of a year gathering data, interviewing guests and franchisees, and speaking with crew members about the new layout and our menu changes,” says Craig Dunaway, president. “From the data analysis, interviews …
San Francisco — Driven by a 95% surge in online sales, San Francisco-based Gap Inc. reported a 13% increase in its comparable sales for the fiscal second quarter, which ended Aug. 1. Gap’s decision to make face masks early on in the COVID-19 pandemic paid off, bringing in $130 million in sales, according to the company. Gap has produced face masks for individuals as well as the city of New York, the state of California and Kaiser Permanente. Net sales were down 18% year over year, reflecting a 48% decline …
East Rutherford, N.J. — Mamoun’s Falafel, New York City’s oldest falafel restaurant and the fastest growing Middle Eastern restaurant chain in North America, has opened a new location in East Rutherford, N.J. It is the fourth of 25 Mamoun’s Falafel franchise locations coming to New Jersey as part of a deal with Prospect Capital Restaurants. Located in a 2,000-square-foot space at Rutherford Commons at 150 Route 17 in East Rutherford, the new restaurant joins Mamoun’s corporate locations in Hoboken and Princeton and three other locations run by franchisees, Prospect Capital …
Newport Beach, Calif. — Mountain Mike’s Pizza, a leading family-style pizza chain for over 40 years, has opened its Newport Beach/Mesa, Calif., location, the first to showcase the brand’s completely updated restaurant design and refreshed guest experience. Located on the border of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, this new Mountain Mike’s is the first of two planned Orange County (OC) locations, with the second scheduled to open in Huntington Beach late summer. Newport-Mesa marks the second OC location with one currently operating in Lake Forest. The Newport-Mesa restaurant is located just a few …
Philadelphia — BrandPoint Services, a leading provider of facility services and solutions to multi-site commercial clients across North America, has been included in the Inc. 5000 list of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. “Our tremendous growth has been the direct result of deepening our client relationships,” says Steve Hearon, president of BrandPoint Services. “Rather than simply being a supplier, we pride ourselves on being a true business partner for our clients.” Prior to 2019, BrandPoint Services were separated into three main divisions: Maintenance, Refresh and Remodel. Through a merger with …
Columbus, Ohio — Big Lots Inc. has reported net sales of $1.6 billion in its fiscal second quarter, which ended Aug. 1. This figure is 31.3% higher than the second quarter of 2019, which totaled $1.2 billion. Bruce Thorn, president and CEO of the Columbus-based retailer, says the “record-breaking results” were driven by both in-store and online activity. Big Lots also reported net income of $452 million, which includes $341.9 million in earnings due to the sale-leasebacks of several distribution centers. The company’s stock price closed at $55.70 per share …
Rosemont, Ill. — US Foods Holding Corp., a leading foodservice distributor, has launched US Foods Ghost Kitchens, a program designed to guide restaurant operators every step of the way when opening their own operation, helping them easily add a new revenue stream. With the addition of this program, US Foods customers now have access to exclusive resources developed to streamline the process of starting a ghost kitchen, including proprietary technology to help identify menu opportunities, a detailed playbook to guide decision-making, dedicated marketing support, webinars and one-on-one consultations with US …