Arlington, Va. — Discount grocer Lidl US plans to open 50 new stores in nine states on the East Coast by the end of 2021. Arlington, Va.-based Lidl US will invest $500 million and hire 2,000 employees as part of the expansion. The footprints of the new stores will include six in Georgia, one in South Carolina, five in North Carolina, seven in Virginia, 10 in Maryland, six in New York, 10 in New Jersey, one in Delaware and four in Pennsylvania. Germany-based Lidl currently operates 11,000 grocery stores in …
Longmont, Colo. — Ziggi’s Coffee, which was recently ranked on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies, has signed an agreement with new franchisees David and Amber King to open the company’s first unit in the state of Texas. The couple will begin with this Katy, Texas, unit and plan to expand from there. “Once this one goes well and we’ve hit it out of the park, our long term plan is to expand and build as many as we can before we’re old and gray,” says David …
New York City — Luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. has unveiled plans for the redevelopment of the upper floors of its flagship store at 727 5th Ave. in Manhattan. The top three floors of the 10-story building will be converted from office space into a new exhibition and event space surrounded by a curtain of glass complementing the limestone façade below. That space was originally completed in 1980, and the building itself was originally constructed in 1940. Tiffany has partnered with The Office of Metropolitan Architecture on the project, which …
Minneapolis — Target reported a 24.3% increase in total digital and in-store sales for the second quarter compared with the same period a year ago, the highest quarterly growth in the Minneapolis-based discount retailer’s history. Same-store sales grew by 10.9% during the quarter, while digital sales experienced a whopping 195% growth year over year. CNBC reports that during a call with reporters, Target CEO Brian Cornell stated that the volume of sales fulfilled by the company’s curbside pickup program grew by more than 70%, and that the company’s digital customer …
Frederick, Md. — The Plamondon Companies, operator of 49 Roy Rogers restaurants and 13 hotels in the Mid-Atlantic, announces the passing of Peter H. Plamondon, Sr. on August 16, 2020. He was 88. Pete Plamondon, Sr., started The Plamondon Companies 40 years ago, after spending 16 years as a corporate executive vice president for Marriott, overseeing its restaurant division. While at Marriott, he played an integral role in launching and overseeing Roy Rogers Restaurants. In following his entrepreneurial ambitions, he struck out on his own in 1979 and established Plamondon …
— By Darren Waxman — Retail has changed forever. It’s time to make a pandemic pivot. The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed the way American’s interact, communicate, work, shop, and mingle. Social distancing has instantly become the new normal, toilet paper has become a scarcity, while Netflix and Disney+ are now considered primary needs. The spread of the coronavirus has spawned consumers to panic buy items virtually overnight, which in turn has severely disrupted supply chains and caused shortages of everyday items. Retailers and restaurants that were not operating …
— By Adam Walker — As the foodservice industry changes, fire protection technology offers smarter, more scalable solutions with electric detection for complex cooking environments. Today’s commercial kitchens are evolving to meet consumer demands. Dining destinations throughout the world are seeing the rise of large-scale, multi-kitchen foodservice operations, driven by both consumers’ need for convenience and an increasing desire for new and unique food experiences. Certain types of complex kitchens have seen an especially increased demand recently with more consumers using food delivery services as part of their efforts …
Manhattan Beach, Calif. — Skechers is donating 1 million masks to essential workers and communities in need. Skechers is partnering with the United Way of Greater Los Angeles and more charities across the country to deliver the masks directly to those who will most benefit. The 1 million masks, which are non-medical, triple-layer surgical style, will be donated to non-profit organizations that typically do not receive PPE from government institutions, with a focus on economic hardship. This includes community and public education centers, health and rehab outreach facilities, plus homeless …
Dallas — Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is expanding its franchise opportunities to feature another non-traditional franchise model: virtual kitchens. The barbecue franchise has executed area development agreements to bring more of Dickey’s slow-smoked, Texas-style barbecue to Chicago, Houston and Orlando, as well as make its debut in Providence, R.I. All locations will serve guests via delivery through a virtual kitchen facility. The virtual kitchen model allows restaurants to maximize delivery coverage without the upfront investment that a traditional brick-and-mortar location requires. Because the facility includes a kitchen for restaurants to prepare …
London — The rock ‘n’ roll legends that are the Rolling Stones will open a world-first flagship store, ‘RS No. 9 Carnaby,’ at 9 Carnaby St. in London’s Soho, the historic London destination that is synonymous for its connection to British music and fashion culture since the 1960s. The new store, created in partnership with Bravado, Universal Music Group’s merchandise and brand management company, will feature all the hallmarks of the iconic band and include exclusive new fashion and merchandise under the ‘RS No. 9 Carnaby’ brand available in-store and …