Cincinnati — International retail design firm FRCH NELSON has partnered with KFC SOPAC to design an innovative, pilot project in Newcastle, Australia, opening to the public this week. With a growing number of consumers ordering through online channels, the goal of the new concept was to develop a more efficient operating model that celebrated this change in consumer behavior. The new concept includes five drive-thru lanes that allow customers to order and pay for a meal through the brand’s app or website, including designated lanes for more traditional, on-the-spot orders. …
construction and design
Orlando, Fla. — Orlando, Fla.-based Williams Company Southeast has started seven more Target store remodels in Florida and Texas for a total of 15 Target stores in 2019. The newest work in Florida involves stores in Brandon, Deerfield Beach, Ft. Myers, Ocala and St. Petersburg, while the Texas stores include Houston and Pearland. The scope of work includes exteriors and interiors and follows Target’s next-gen store design to further enhance the guest shopping experience. Since 1990, Williams has constructed over 100 new Target stores plus more than 200 Target store …
FRCH NELSON Teams Up with American Girl to Design In-Store Experiences for the Holidays
by Katie Lee
Cincinnati — American Girl unveiled two new in-store experiences this month in its New York City flagship store on Rockefeller Plaza. Award-winning retail design firm FRCH NELSON partnered with the brand to envision both experiences that will be open throughout the holiday season. Girls can now experience a day in the life of one of American Girl’s most popular dolls, Julie. The pop-up called “Julie’s Groovy World” immerses guests in her 1970s world. The in-store activation encourages interactive play between girl and doll and brings Julie’s message of girl empowerment …
Krystal to Sell 100-150 Corporate Restaurants to Franchisees as Part of Brand Revitalization
by Katie Lee
Atlanta — The Krystal Company plans to refranchise approximately 100-150 company-owned restaurants to well-capitalized multi-unit operators as part of its ongoing business and fleet revitalization. To that end, Krystal has engaged The Cypress Group, a specialized investment banking firm, to manage the refranchising initiative. Restaurants in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee will be refranchised. “We’re ready for the next step in the brand transformation that began when I came on board in 2018,” says Paul Macaluso, Krystal’s president and CEO. “We’ve seen great success with the new restaurant prototype, remodels and …
Littleton, Colo. – Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh has debuted its fresh new prototype in the southwest Denver suburb of Littleton. The restaurant is the first new ground-up buildout of a GARBANZO restaurant to open in the Denver metro area since 2014, and it’s the company’s first new prototype in Denver. The new GARBANZO restaurant exudes a bright, open and fresh aesthetic for the brand. It features a stand-alone bakery area where guests will be able to see their pitas being kneaded, placed in the oven and puffed to perfection right before …
Plano, Texas — JCPenney recently unveiled its brand-new store, a completely reimagined format just outside of Dallas in Hurst, Texas, that represents the company’s strategy to put the customer at the center of its business. As a brand-defining store, it is experiential at its core, and a direct result of what today’s shoppers want from a retailer. The store is built around data and insights learned from more than a year of extensive customer research. “Our customers are at the heart of everything we do,” says JCPenney’s chief executive officer, …
Latham, N.Y. — DWM Construction & Renovation has promoted Andrew Carnes to field project manager and on-site trainer. Carnes previously served as project manager, where he was responsible for overseeing and completing projects on time and to customers’ satisfaction. Carnes joined DWM in 2017 with 11 years of construction project management experience. “Since joining DWM, Carnes has been instrumental in the expansion of DWM’s Construction & Renovation Division,” says Ryan Knapp, director, Construction & Renovation. “Carnes’s experience and solutions-focused mindset have assisted in the division’s growth into new markets.” In …
Tampa, Fla. — Anna Schmidt Interior Design has been selected for work on Free the Cork Wine Bar, a wine tasting and small plates restaurant coming to Sparkman Wharf, Tampa’s transformational Water Street Tampa neighborhood. Free the Cork Wine Bar, scheduled to open spring 2020, is the new hotspot for Sparkman Wharf’s office tenants, visitors and the Tampa community as a whole. The restaurant is located on the ground floor of Sparkman Wharf. Overlooking views of a scenic park and dining garden, it will serve as a place for friends …
Confluent Development Completes Unique Infill Redevelopment Project in Historic St. Louis
by Katie Lee
St. Louis — Confluent Development has completed its redevelopment of the historic Southwest Bank property in St. Louis’ Southwest Garden neighborhood. The project features retailers BMO Harris Bank, which remained operational throughout the redevelopment process, and Walgreens, which recently celebrated its grand opening. Confluent Development, a Denver-based real estate investment and development firm, serves as the project’s developer and owner. The infill project represents the first development of its kind in St. Louis by preserving the historical façade along the Kingshighway Boulevard portion of the project while redeveloping the remainder …
Canton, Mass. — Destination XL Group, Inc., the world’s leading omni-channel specialty retailer of big-and-tall clothing and shoes, has just converted and rebranded its Casual Male XL store at Keystone Place in Erie, Pa., into a DXL Men’s Big + Tall store. This new conversion from Casual Male XL to DXL Big + Tall offers customers a brand new shopping experience that includes a more spacious environment, elevated visual merchandising, easy-to-shop departments, superior service, expanded brands and styles and more. Destination XL Group, Inc. is the largest retailer of men’s …