Monday, October 20, 2025
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construction and designIndustry Voicesretailers

Curb Appeal

by Katie Lee

— By Jayson Hill — Five store redesigns and upgrades retailers will implement in 2021.   If 2020 was a year of survival and adaptation for retailers, 2021 will be the year they make sense of the seismic shifts they’ve endured, fine tuning various strategies as they embed them into the DNA of their companies and storefronts. North Highland’s 2021 Beacon survey helps reveal what senior retail managers are thinking. Eighty-nine percent of respondents said operational efficiency was a high or very high priority, suggesting they intend to spend the …

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Cover Storyfranchise developmentFrom The Magazineretailers

Supplies & Demand

by Katie Lee

— Interview by Katie Lee —   Demand for pets — and pet supplies — soared during the pandemic. Here’s how Pet Supplies Plus is meeting the moment.     Raise your hand if you adopted a new pet during the pandemic! If you’re like many Americans, you took advantage of the extra time at home, and not traveling, to bond with a new four-legged friend — and you needed pet supplies. The pet industry boomed over the past 12 months, and Pet Supplies Plus (PSP) is the first to …

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Industry Voicesjan/san

A Fresh Start

by Katie Lee

— By Melissa Hard — Restaurant cleaning in a post-COVID era.   As the saying goes, every cloud — even a very dark cloud like COVID-19 — has its silver lining. This is undoubtedly true in the restaurant and hospitality industries, which have taken it on the chin — as bad if not worse than any other business sector. However, the industry can view this regrettable situation as a chance to reevaluate many of their operating practices, starting with those related to cleaning. Speaking to someone who started in the …

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energy managementHVAC/RIndustry Voices

Fresh Air Solutions

by Katie Lee

— By Steve Peldiak — Communal air solutions in retail and restaurant locations.   Sanitation conversations around indoor air quality (IAQ) at restaurants and retail locations will be critical to their longevity and bottom lines. 2021 has seen the arrival of a vaccine, however many customers may remain hesitant to dine or shop inside even with continued mask mandates. Indoor air quality improvements completed and communicated to both employees and patrons will put many at ease as the path to public-wide vaccination is paved and businesses begin to fully reopen. …

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Industry Voices

Maintain Your Brand

by Katie Lee

— By Trip Jobe — How physically maintaining your brand/facility will pay off in 2021.   Over the past 30 years, I’ve witnessed and faced the budget pressures most of us have all experienced in 2020. Two areas, that I know well, are usually the first places companies cut back: marketing and maintenance. “Push off today what can wait until tomorrow” is usually the refrain from senior management. “Don’t do anything that will impact safety or sales, but please hold the line.” After 9 months of this approach, your valuable …

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green building/LEEDgreen newsIndustry Voicesparking lotsvendors

Leading the Charge

by Katie Lee

— By Conner McGill — Why retailers and restaurants are investing in EV charging stations.   If electric vehicle (EV) charging has sparked your interest recently, you’re not alone. Retailers and restaurants across the country are giving more consideration to EV charging stations for good reason. We are living in an increasingly electric environment. In fact, the Electric Power Research Institute projects that 35 million EVs will be sold in the U.S. by 2030. As more drivers buy EVs, the demand for places to charge them will follow. Smart retailers …

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Industry Voicespainting

Painter & Partner

by Katie Lee

— By Sean Gillespie — Managing your refresh and reimage painting needs.   Over the past 13 months, one word has nearly dominated everything: COVID. As a result, many have had to make adjustments — some dramatic — to their painting programs. While those changes are expected (and perhaps inevitable) under the circumstances, the need to continue or jump-start multi-site painting programs is essential to keeping your facilities consistently branded, aesthetically pleasing, safe and functional. “Essential” may sound extreme, especially given the challenges of the past year, but we believe …

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Industry Voices

Closed Door Meeting

by Katie Lee

— By Jen Castro — How a commercial security door can protect your business.   You have invested a lot of time and money in your business and have developed its resources and reputation to be the best it can be. However, 2020 and the pandemic probably threw a wrench in your business plans. Storefronts are at risk of vandalism and trespassing now more than ever before, which is why business owners are searching for a flexible and resilient solution to maintain security and keep their inventory and/or store safe. …

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Industry Voicesrestaurantssignagevendors

Getting Serious About Signage

by Katie Lee

— By Dan Smith — Investing in the right commercial-grade digital signage is as strategic as a brand’s messaging.   Would you like fries with that? Increasingly, thanks to digital signage, the answer is yes. At quick-service, fast-casual and other national restaurants, digital signage and menu boards are gaining adoption and believed to contribute to increased sales. So it’s important that restaurants adopt technology that protects and augments those gains. There’s plenty of opportunity out there. According to the QSR Drive-Thru Performance Study, about 20% of brands deployed digital menu …

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construction and designCover StoryFrom The Magazineremodelsrestaurants

Driving Force

by Katie Lee

Just in time for its 50th anniversary, Schlotzsky’s rolls out two new prototypes with plans to build on lessons learned during COVID-19. — By Katie Lee —   At Schlotzsky’s, the drive-thru has always been a driving force of its business. Eighty-five percent of its 339 locations already had a drive-thru — often with double lanes — and this positioned the sandwich chain well when COVID-19 changed the world in early 2020. Schlotzsky’s already understood customers’ evolving needs — and the pandemic accelerated that evolution. Several years prior to the …

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