Charlotte, N.C. — Take 5 Oil Change, a drive-thru quick lube franchise under the Driven Brands family, will open its 400th location in September. Last year, the brand celebrated its 300th-store milestone and has rapidly grown its footprint nationwide by opening 100 locations in only a year. Additionally, during the first half of 2019, Take 5 signed area development agreements to open 58 new franchised locations and also acquired Advance Kwik Lube, a 25-unit quick lube and automotive service chain in Texas. “2019 has proved to be the strongest year …
Emeryville, Calif. — Alloy LED, a California-based manufacturer and distributor of LED lighting, has expanded its operations to the East Coast with a new distribution center in North Carolina. The center currently serves its customers in the southeastern United States. The company plans to expand the service territory to the Northeast and Upper Midwest, as well as the eastern provinces of Canada, by the end of this year. The warehouse enhances the company’s supply chain capabilities to maintain its competitive edge in the fast-moving LED lighting sector. The company began …
Louisville, Ky. — Papa John’s International, Inc. has appointed restaurant industry veteran Jim Norberg as its chief restaurant operations officer. He will oversee the operations of Papa John’s corporate and franchise restaurants in North America. Norberg, a QSR industry veteran, spent more than 30 years of his career at McDonald’s. His most recent role was executive vice president and chief operating officer, where he managed operations for 14,000 U.S. restaurants. During his time at McDonald’s, Norberg’s leadership was instrumental in unifying company and franchise operations around the brand’s messaging and …
Kansas City, Mo. — Service Management Group (SMG), a global customer experience management, employee experience and brand research partner to more than 500 brands, has established a new partnership with global beauty products retailer Sally Beauty. The specialty retailer chose SMG for the actionable insights delivered through its technology platform and industry-leading professional services. With more than 3,700 Sally Beauty stores and 1,300 stores in the Beauty Systems Group network, Sally Beauty services both retail consumers and salon professionals with up to 10,000 products. Seeking to better understand and act …
Plano, Texas — At Home Group Inc., The Home Décor Superstore, has opened its 200th store, in San Diego. This milestone comes after At Home’s recent expansion into California, where the home décor retailer currently operates two stores with the potential to grow to more than 80 stores. “We are thrilled to announce that we have expanded our footprint to 200 stores in 40 states. With our long term goal of opening more than 600 stores nationwide, we continue to be excited about the significant whitespace in front of us,” …
Atlanta — Cinnaholic, the gourmet cinnamon roll bakery acclaimed for serving innovative plant-based cinnamon roll creations, has opened 10 franchise locations since January in new markets including New Jersey, Houston, Phoenix and Ottawa, Ontario, bringing its total location count to 38 units. The brand hopes to reach 50 locations by year end, and 75 by the end of 2020. “Our franchise model has proven successful time and time again, and the fact that many of our existing franchisees are opening additional locations is a true indicator of our products resonating …
Houston — Charming Charlie, a women’s fashion and beauty chain based in Houston, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 11, 2019. It is the second time the retailer known for its colorful displays of jewelry, handbags, apparel and beauty products has filed for bankruptcy in less than 2 years. The company now plans to close all 261 of its remaining stores across 38 states. The retailer’s first filing was in December 2017, and the financial restructuring was completed the following April. However, the company continued to struggle following the …
Wichita, Kan. — Fast-casual restaurant concept Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers has opened its first international location in the Dubai Mall. The brand’s second international location is slated to open at the Mall of the Emirates in the coming weeks. The restaurants are owned and operated by Tastebuds Group, which will continue to drive Freddy’s growth throughout the Middle East, with plans to open locations in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman and Qatar. “The training and support that we’ve received from Freddy’s since signing …
— By Jim Arabia — Grocery stores in particular generate big boosts in sales from refreshing and remodeling. The fear of online shopping overtaking in-store purchases certainly hasn’t hit the grocery market yet, with a Gallup poll showing 84% of U.S. shoppers never buy their food from the internet. With that in mind, many retailers — not just grocery stores — are ensuring their physical store is keeping pace with customer needs, through remodeling and introducing more technology for a better shopping experience. Indeed, artificial intelligence (AI) is playing …
— By Mike Watt — How to get rid of the frequent diners you do NOT want. There is no privacy anymore, and no privacy can often turn into terrible publicity for restaurants. For instance, go to YouTube and type in the query “video rats in a restaurant” and more than three pages come up all showing rats running around a restaurant kitchen. But, that’s not the only rodent restaurant owners and managers may have to grapple with. If rats are present, very often mice are as well. …